Beards, Broomsticks and Bookworms
by Jaffagirl
Summary: "So what, I'd be your fake boyfriend?" "Well, actually, you'd be my beard." Vic's had a lot of disastrous plans over the years, but crafting up a fake relationship with her lifelong friend definitely took the cake. It probably wouldn't have been so bad, if one of them hadn't been gay and the other in love with someone else.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! First off, I just want to say a massive thank-you for taking the time to click on this story and give it a read. It's a plot idea that has been circling around in my head for ages before I finally plucked up the courage and momentum to start it. Second, I don't plan for this story to be too long - at the moment, i've planned out the story to be roughly about sixteen-ish chapters and already have the first nine chapters written and roughly edited. Hopefully, I'll be uploading those as regularly as I can, and will be working away on the rest now that I've finished my exams for the Uni semester. **

**Finally, I would immensely appreciate it if you're enjoying the chapter or find anything that doesn't make sense, or just have any general comments about it and questions to leave a review! I'd love to hear what your thoughts are and how I can make this story better and easier to follow. **

**Now that that's all out of the way - on to the first chapter!**

**(I should mention, of course, that I do not own anything from the HP Universe. The only i can claim credit for are my OCs and the plot). **

* * *

Lying on her back as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling, Victoire let out a shaky breath before turning on her side.

"Rory, are you awake?"

"Groaning slightly, the girl lying in the twin bed next to her rolled over and blearily opened her eyes. "Vic? What is it?"

"I…I think," Her voice shook and she cut herself off for fear of crying. Rory pushed back her blankets and crept across the distance that separated them before sliding into Vic's bed.

"What's wrong?" Vic's body shuddered and her shoulders sunk in on themselves as she huddled into a ball. "Honey, you know you can talk to me about anything."

Cooing softly, Rory wrapped her arms around her best friend and rubbed her back. Vic's tears soaked the front of her pyjama shirt as she fought to calm herself down.

Eventually, her quiet sobs turned into uneven breaths and the tears subsided somewhat. Pulling away from each other, the girls rested against Victoire's pillows as the blonde attempted to find the words to say what was on her mind.

"You remember that truth or dare game we played in France with my cousins and their friends?"

"Yeah,"

"You remember how I was dared to kiss Marie?" Rory nodded, and Vic let out another long sigh. "I think… I think I'm gay."

Victoire cringed now that it was out there, and scared of how the other girl would react continued talking before Rory could respond to the declaration.

"I just – the kiss was so… It was so different from all the kisses I've had in the past, I can't really describe it but after, when I was on the beach with Theo, being with him just didn't feel right."

She paused, unable to find anymore words to describe how she was feeling and for a moment an awestruck silence fell between them.

"Ok."

"What?"

"Ok." Rory repeated, more firmly this time and with a smile etched across her lips.

"Ok." Vic grinned. "I mean, it was only one kiss – so maybe I'm not gay and Marie was just a really good kisser, and Theo was just a really bad kisser but… I don't think that's it."

"Well whatever it is, Vic, whether you are gay or just bi-curious, you know you've got me, right?"

"Thank-you," Vic's eyes welled again, and Rory smiled softly at her.

"Come on, we should probably get some sleep – we've got to get up early tomorrow for the train."

* * *

Victoire and Rory crossed the barrier onto Platform 9 and 3/4s early the following morning with the rest of the Weasley-Potter clan close in tow. Arms linked and heads bowed together, the two girls were giggling over some inside joke when they were interrupted by a head of vibrant blue hair.

"And what's got you two so giggly this morning?" Teddy Lupin questioned as he sidled up to them, and they pulled away from each other to smile warmly at him.

"Your face," Victoire commented drily before pulling the older boy into a hug. "What're you doing here, Ted?"

"Came to see everyone off, of course!" He ruffled her hair playfully, "Got to do my part as the favourite honorary member of the family,"

"Excuse you," Rory huffed, "I think you'll find that spot has been taken by yours truly," She twirled her hand before pointing at her chest, and the trio shared a laugh before Teddy wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug. "It's good to see you, Ted."

"You too, Rora." He let her go and stepped back, "Congrats, by the way – James tells me you were made Head Girl."

"I was yeah, thanks." She beamed up at him, and the sides of his blue hair paled to a pink blush momentarily.

"If you, ah, need any help during the year, just send me an owl and I'll try my best to help."

"Thanks," Seemingly shocked by his offer, her smile softened into a gentle, genuine one and the pink blush returned to his hair at the sight of it.

"AURORA PINE!" The trio jerked at the screaming voice, and Rory groaned as she glanced over her shoulder to find her younger sister jumping about in an attempt to get her attention.

"I should probably go see to her before she gives herself a hernia. If I don't see you again before I get on the train, I hope you have a great year Ted. I'll catch you later, Vic."

"Good luck with Bree," Vic teased earning herself an eye roll.

"Good luck for the year, Rora." Ted called out after the girl, and she tipped her head at him before turning around to run after her younger sister.

"Walk with me to the train?" Vic asked Teddy, a calculating look developing in her eyes as she surveyed the young man. Her conversation with Rory the night prior coming back to her as she started to question how she could solve her bi-curious situation, and an idea started to form.

As the two distanced themselves from their family and friends and idle chit-chat passed between them, Vic found herself leaning more and more towards the spontaneous test she'd thought up. Before she could psych herself out, she rounded on Teddy and smirked at him.

He paused and quirked an eyebrow at her quizzically.

"You alright Vic-?" Lunging at him, Victoire wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. Not catching the widened expression on his face, she pressed her lips against his. When after several seconds had passed and nothing had happened – no fireworks, no toe-curling tingles, no butterflies – Vic pulled away from Teddy with a satisfied nod.

"What was that?" He asked her, spluttering as they stepped away from each other and she shrugged.

"Nothing, I was just checking something."

"Checking what?"

"So?" A third voice asked from over his shoulder, and Teddy whirled, red in the face to find Rory watching them with her head cocked to the side in question. "What is it then?"

Vic smiled at her brightly, almost giddy and Rory responded with a soft one of her own.

"Ok,"

"Ok." The two laughed, leaving Teddy scratching his head awkwardly.

"What is going on? Vic?" Her laughter ceased as she caught his confused look. "Why'd you kiss me?"

"It's alright, Ted, you don't need to panic – I don't like you like that."

"Right," he drawled sceptically, but she wasn't finished.

"Because I'm gay!" Almost shouting, her voice pitched inhumanly when she tried to quieten it.

"You're gay?"

"Yep," She nodded, "You got a problem with that?"

Rory and Vic both stepped in front of him with their hands resting on their hips and an eyebrow quirked. He shook his head profusely.

"NO! Not at all, I'm just surprised is all, but it's cool. You're gay, that's cool."

"Damn right it is," Rory nodded proudly, bumping her elbow against Vic's.

"So why'd you kiss me if you're gay?" Still confused about the whole thing, Teddy scratched the back of his head again.

"I wasn't sure if I was or not, but by kissing you I was able to discover that yes, I am gay."

"I don't know if I should be offended that my kiss made you realise you were gay, or flattered that you chose me as your test dummy."

"Oh, definitely flattered," Vic pursed her lips with a mock serious look on her face.

"I really don't think that should be your biggest concern right now, anyway." Rory interjected with a snort, and the other two looked at her confused. "I wasn't the only one who saw the two of you – James was staring slack-jawed when I walked up."

"Shit,"

"Oh well,"

"Oh well? That's all you have to say?" Incredulously, Teddy turned on Vic. "How can you be so calm about the fact that James saw us kissing? He's going to blab to the entire family!"

"So?"

"So, they're going to think you're straight."

"They've thought I was straight for the last seventeen years, Ted – one more isn't going to hurt them."

"Yeah well it might hurt me. I have to go back home with them," Ted's face paled, "Your dad is going to kill me."

"It was just a kiss."

"Which to your Uncles and your Father is practically an elopement."

"Now you're just being ridiculous,"

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"You both are being ridiculous!" Shouting over their feuding, Rory squeezed the ridge of her nose with her thumb and finger. "Vic, you know as well as I that your family is dramatically over-protective, and Ted – they're your family as well, they're not going to kill you so calm the fuck down."

They both shirked sheepishly under her unimpressed gaze.

"If you're both done, Vic we've got a train to catch, and you Ted, have to get home for work. We'll see you at Christmas," Pressing a kiss to his cheek, Rory grabbed Vic by the hand and dragged her over to the Hogwarts Express as it gave out it's final, warning whistle.

Watching the two run off, Teddy stayed stuck in place with a hand placed over the spot on his cheek that Rory had kissed. Blushing profusely as the train disappeared from the station, Teddy shook his head clear of the fog that had settled over it.

"You're pathetic, Ted." He grumbled to himself before straightening his robes and heading off to find his godfather.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rory**

Straightening the front of her robes for the hundredth time that morning, Rory fidgeted nervously in her seat as Headmistress McGonagall finished her opening address.

Listening to the woman she admired greatly speak, Rory glanced over her shoulder and down a few rows to where Victoire sat with the rest of the W's of their class. Catching the girl's eye, she pulled a face and laughed quietly under her breath when Vic returned the gesture. A jolt to her side brought her attention back to the front of the stage where McGonagall was just turning to face her and the Head Boy, Gryffindor Tyler Chuah. Sparing the boy on her left a grateful smile, she stood up with him when the Headmistress called upon them to give their departing speech.

Walking up the steps of the stage, her hand floated subconsciously to the Ravenclaw emblem that stood out proudly on the chest of her school robe and she thumbed it gently for comfort.

Tyler pushed the step stool that had been provided for her across to her side of the podium they were sharing, and after shooting him a dry look she stepped up onto it. He smirked at her before facing forward and greeting the audience that waited for them.

"Welcome friends, family, faculty and fellow students," She tuned out momentarily, knowing their speech off by heart by now, and looked out over the hundreds of faces that looked back at her. Straining her eyes under the morning light, Rory was able to place the figures of her parents and siblings in the crowd. When they realised she was looking at them, her brother and sister shot her a thumbs up and wolf-whistled. Rolling her eyes subtly, she looked away quickly before a blush could take over on her cheeks – only for her gaze to land on her younger cousins whose reaction to her was no better than her siblings.

'_My entire family are idiots_,' she grumbled to herself whilst forcing a smile as Tyler came to the end of his portion of the speech. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes and she nodded.

"This year has been one I'll never forget. From the pranks pulled to winning the Quidditch Cup-" she was interrupted by the cheers from those in her house, "to the stress of NEWTs to the school ball and everything in between. This year has been filled with moments that have made me so incredibly grateful for my time here at Hogwarts. In the last seven years, this place has become my home – it has become our home, and I don't know what I'm going to do with myself when I don't board that train come September." She paused again, this time though as several sniffles ran out through the student body. "It's going to be strange not walking these halls during the school year, or ducking into classrooms to avoid Peeves, or running from Filch because you're out after curfew – not that we ever did that, Professor."

Tyler and Rory both beamed innocently at the Headmistress who simply snorted and shook her head obligingly at them. "But as strange as it may be to no longer call myself a Hogwarts student, I know that the next chapter of our lives is going to be just as amazing as this one has been – if not better. So, even though it's sad to say goodbye, I'm looking forward to where I'm going next."

Tyler picked up as she finished her piece, and as he closed for the two of them, Rory's gaze landed on Vic. Smiling from ear to ear, the two girls' bounced off the other's excitement despite the sea of students that separated them.

They had done it. They were graduates.

* * *

**Rory**

Dancing around their now empty dorm room, Rory and her dorm-mates collapsed on the floor in a fit of emotional laughter.

"I can't believe this is it," Willow Riley whispered, her head resting on the shoulder of her twin sister, Wendy Riley.

"Seven years – over." Wendy muttered in awe. "I just… My brain can't really process it."

"Ditto," Delilah Yao echoed. "Do you remember our first night together?"

"None of us could sleep," Rory laughed, "I'm pretty sure I was going to burst into tears at any moment. I was so homesick!"

"That's right!" India Smith exclaimed sitting upright. "But you ended up having to comfort me because I did burst into tears."

"We were a right bunch of twits, weren't we? Stressing over the school year, scared about homework, worried over not being able to answer the riddles to get into the house-"

"Which I could never do until fourth year," Willow pointed out, a slight frown marring her features. "Something you all found absolutely hilarious!"

"Because it was hilarious, Will. You were, are the brightest in our year – and you got stumped every single time with those riddles."

"They were hard!"

"First years could answer them, sis. _First Years._"

"Shut-up," Willow elbowed her sister non-to-gently and sat up with a roll of her eyes. "I'm really going to miss this place, this room, this." She gestured in between the five of them. "You girls got me through these last seven years, I don't know how I'm going to get through Healer's Academy without you."

"Naw," The girls cooed before giggling.

"You're going to be a star, Will – you don't need us to be amazing." India wrapped her arm around the red-head. "Just don't forget about us when you're a world-famous surgeon, ok?"

"Like she ever could," Wendy scoffed, "That tattoo the two of you got is a permanent enough reminder."

"Hey, Rory?" Sixth-Year Prefect, Gwen Parker, stuck her head into the dorm with a smile on her face. "Vic's outside waiting for you,"

"Thanks hun, I'll be down in a moment." Gwen nodded before slipping out the room, and Rory stood up from the floor and tangled limbs. "Right girls,"

"No! Don't go Rory!"

"I'll see you all on the boats when we set off for Hogsmeade." She reminded them, but Delilah still stuck her tongue out at her.

"Boo, you whore."

"Love you too, Lilah." She chuckled and picked her wand up from her nightstand. "I'll catch you girls soon, don't stay up here for the rest of our final moments here, yeah?"

"We won't. Bye Rory,"

Rory waved one last time at the girls before skipping down the stairs, a nervous well of emotions bubbling up in her as she threw open the common room door and greeted Victoire with a face-splitting grin.

"We did it."

"I know!" The two shared a squeal, their arms wrapping tight around the other as they spun in circles in the corridor outside the Ravenclaw common room. "I can hardly believe it, Icky-Vicky."

"Me neither, Rory-Bory." Separating, they linked arms and strolled down the hallways of the school. "It's so surreal – so many memories in these halls, so many… I don't want to say goodbye."

"Well, it's not really goodbye – I mean, our siblings are still here – so we'll get to come back for their graduations. And then there's your tribe of cousins and mine,"

"Yeah, but we won't be studying here again. We won't be sleeping in those dorm rooms, fighting over closet space with our dorm mates, hiding from Madam Pince in the library, or running from Filch. This is… This is it."

"Yeah, it is." Rory stopped, a nostalgic small smile pulling at her lips as she gazed at the magical portraits that adorned the walls around her. "But tomorrow we start our life after Hogwarts – as graduates – you're going to be a star Quidditch Player and score me free tickets to every match, and I'll finally have my own store in Diagon Alley. Hogwarts has been our home, Vic, but there's a whole world at our feet now."

"God damn," Victoire chuckled, shaking her head with a smirk.

"What?"

"You really are the Head Girl."

"Oh fuck you, Victoire." Rolling her eyes, Rory unlinked her arm from the other girl and gave her a quick shove. "You're just

jealous that I can spit some true fire,"

"Yeah – you're a right rap artist." Returning the gesture, Vic shoved Rory back before continuing on their path out onto the Hogwarts grounds.

The two girls sat down on the grassy bank by the Great Lake, and Rory took her shoes off so she could dip her feet into the water. Vic watched her absently, a conflicted look on her face as she did.

"I don't know what to do."

"About what, hun?" Rory hummed as her feet slipped into the murky shallows of the lake, the gentle swell splashed against her

ankles and she splayed her fingers over the top of it. Vic moved forward so she could as well.

"About me, and my parents."

"I thought you were going to tell them after the Ceremony, and if you couldn't – which I know you didn't because you all but ran away from them after your mother freed you from her suffocating embrace – you were going to tell them tonight. At the party your grandparents are throwing in your honour."

"_Our _honour," Vic corrected before shrugging. "I know, I just – what if I'm wrong."

"Victoire Gabrielle Weasley, you better not be doing this again."

"I know we've been over this before-"

"Before?" Rory scoffed, "Try sixty-three times this year alone, and that's not counting the four times we went back and forth on the train trip at the start of the year."

"This isn't some little thing, Aurora – it's not like choosing between full-fat or fat-free milk at the grocer's. This is something that will change my life."

"I know, and I appreciate that. But I just, I think you're worrying too much about what other people will think and less about how you feel."

"I don't care what other people will think!"

"Really?" She pulled her feet out of the water and faced Vic with a quirked brow. "Then why are you stressing so much over telling your parents? Why haven't you told anyone else except for me and Teddy? Why did you date Elliott Perkins for half of the year, when you told me that you felt nothing for the guy? Why did you lead some nice Slytherin on for five months, when you as well as I know that you're not straight? Fuck, Vic – you cheated on Elliott twice – and both times were with women. You're not straight, so stop trying to pretend that you are. The sooner you do that; the sooner you'll be happy."

"It's not that easy, Rory."

"I know; I know it's not that easy. I know that this is a big thing, coming out of the closet – but you can't keep lying to yourself."

"I'm just… I'm scared." Victoire looked down at her hands. "I know, in my heart and in my head, that I'm gay. I knew from the moment Elliott asked me out that I didn't feel for him what I should if I was straight. That kiss with Teddy at the start of the year was evidence enough, but I thought that maybe it was because I wasn't attracted to the guy I'd grown up with practically as siblings and that maybe I just needed to test it out with another guy."

Vic closed her eyes and scoffed derisively at herself

"It was wrong of me, and I hurt him and I'll never forgive myself for that. But I've thought I was straight for my entire life, and it took one moment, one dare on one night one summer to throw everything for a loop. And I'm still adjusting to everything that's changed,"

"There isn't a rush, Vic. You don't have to have everything figured out by some deadline – nor do you have to have some guy or girl by your side to prove what you already know." Rory reached between them and gripped Vic's hands. "You don't have to tell anybody until you're ready because this is a big change for you – you don't have to remind me of that fact. But, please stop hiding who you are from yourself. It's hurting you, and it hurts me to see you in pain. You're my best friend, Vicky, you're my sister – I just want you to be happy."

"I love you, Rory."

"I love you too, Vic." Crying quietly, the two girls hugged each other on the lake bank.

* * *

**Victoire**

Stepping off of the Hogwarts' Express, Victoire hugged her Gryffindor dorm mates' goodbye with promises to catch up and write over the summer. Choruses of "good luck" and "I'll miss you" rang out over platform 9 and 3/4s, and Vic's eyes landed on the figure of her best friend who was currently being tackled to the ground by her own dorm mates.

Those around the group of Ravenclaw girls laughed, tears in their eyes as they said their final goodbyes. Vic laughed loudly as she saw the way Rory grumbled under her breath, probably a series of curses and unlikely threats, as she pulled herself off the ground and playfully glared at the girls who'd tackled her.

"Victoire!" Her head whipped so quickly she got whiplash. Rubbing her neck with a wince, Vic surveyed the noisy crowd before spotting the stampede that was her family.

"Shit," As quickly as she could, Vic spread her feet shoulder width apart and squeezed her eyes shut just as her mother, grandmother and various little cousins rammed themselves at her. This time, it was her turn to be tackled to the ground, and over the sound of her family greeting her and shouting their pride at her for graduating from Hogwarts, Victoire was sure she could hear Rory's distinct laugh.

* * *

**Victoire**

Shedding out of her school robes, Vic changed into the pale pink dress she had waiting on her bed. Just as she was zipping up the back of it, there was a knock at her door and she turned to find her mother sticking her head around the corner of the frame.

"There she is," Her mother cooed, the faint whispers of her accent lingering on the words as she stared at Vic.

"Here I am," Vic smiled, "Is it time to go?"

"Just about," Fleur stepped into her daughter's room, a white envelope clasped in between her hands. "This came for you just now,"

"What is it?" Curiosity piqued, Vic accepted the envelope from Fleur only to have her heart stop when she recognised the dark and grey colours that adorned the stamp and emblem. "It's from the Falcons."

"I know," Fleur grinned sharing her daughter's awed nervousness.

Years ago, Victoire's desire to play Quidditch professionally had caused the mother and daughter to butt heads. But after several interventions staged by her father, siblings and several relatives, and after several visits to her games at Hogwarts, Fleur found herself slowly coming around to the idea.

"Go on, open it."

"Alright, alright." Chuckling, Victoire let out a long breath against the butterflies that were raging within her. Sliding a finger under the edge, she ripped the envelope open and pulled out the letter.

"To Miss Victoire Weasley, blah blah blah we were highly impressed by your performance during your time at Hogwarts blah blah blah after our scouts watched you play in the final game blah blah blah our current Keeper has recently retired blah blah blah as a result we would like to offer you a position as starting Keeper for the Falmouth Falcons." Skimming the letter as fast as she could, Vic's jaw dropped when she got to the final line.

"Victoire…" Fleur's eyes were wide with pride as she grinned happily for her daughter.

"Mama, they want me to… I'm going to be a starting Keeper for the Falcons!"

"I'm so proud of you, honey."

"Thanks Mama," Stepping into her mother's arms, Victoire hugged her tightly. "I can't believe it."

"What's going on in here?" Leaning against the doorframe, Bill Weasley watched as his wife held their daughter in her arms. Holding the letter out to her father, Vic waved it at him till he got the message that he was supposed to take it from her. Confused, but obliging, Bill read it over quickly before blinking and rereading it as his mind attempted to process what it was seeing.

"The Falcons?" Both women nodded at his question and he let out a whoop cheering. "My little girl's going to be a Falcon!" Leaping across the room, Bill picked Vic up and swung her around. "I'm so proud of you sweetheart."

"Thanks Dad,"

"Wait till your Aunt Ginny hears – she's going to be so happy for you kid."

"You can tell her tonight at the party," Fleur added, before all three of them froze.

"The Party!"

* * *

**Teddy**

He straightened the collar of the buttoned shirt he was wearing for the umpteenth time while surveying his appearance in the mirror. Bright blue hair covered his head, strands of it coming down past his brows and blocking the honey-brown hue of his eyes from seeing his own reflection. Nervously, he fidgeted with the end of his shirt before catching himself doing it and frowned.

"This is ridiculous,"

"What is?" Jumping about a foot in the air, Teddy pressed a hand to his heart that was racing against his chest and spun to the door of the bathroom on the first floor of the Weasley house.

"Nothing, Uncle Harry." Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed in front of him loosely, Harry Potter watched his godson with an amused look.

"You alright, Ted? You seem a little jumpy."

"I'm fine, you just caught me by surprise. I didn't hear you come in."

"Nervous?"

"About what?" His brows furrowed in confusion, but his mouth went dry in fear when Harry smirked.

"Bill and Fleur often tend to be a little late, Ted. You don't have to worry about Victoire standing you up at her own graduation party."

"It's not Vic," He sighed before his eyes widened at the slip of information he'd released and he cringed. "I mean, I'm not nervous."

"So you and Vic aren't…?"

"No, I don't know what James told you all at the start of the school year, but Vic and I aren't dating. I don't like her like that,"

"Yeah, because he's in love with R-" Appearing in the doorway next to his father, thirteen-year-old James Potter II almost struck again when he was silenced by a dark look from Teddy. Unfortunately, it didn't come fast enough, at least not with the closely watching and highly amused Harry Potter standing listening.

"Really? You and-"

"Please, don't, Uncle Harry." Pleadingly, Teddy gazed at his godfather. "It's already embarrassing enough; I don't need to hear about it from you."

"I wasn't going to tease you, Teds. You really think I'd do that to you?"

The two shared a look before breaking the seemingly growing tension with their laughter. James, catching that this was somewhat private territory, slipped away from the bathroom and ran off to re-join the party his grandparents were hosting.

"You really like this girl, huh?" Once their laughter had subsided, Harry watched as Teddy's hair – that he normally had such strict control over now after years of practice – went a vibrantly warm pink colour.

"Yeah, I do."

"You ever told her?" Teddy laughed, near scornfully and shook his head. "Why not?"

"Aside from the fact that I inherited my father's ability to overthink everything?" Rhetorically, Teddy jutted his jaw. "Rory is never going to see me as anything more than the honourary family member of her best friend."

"You never know, not until you try." Harry stepped into the bathroom and patted Teddy on the shoulder. "And while you may have inherited Remus' overthinking trait, you also inherited your mother's unflinching confidence and charm."

"You think so?" Harry nodded, "Right, well – I'll see."

"Oh! Hey, Mr Potter, Teddy." Teddy's face drained of all colour whilst Harry's froze, caught in between shock and amusement as a new, very familiar voice piped up from the open bathroom door. "There a party in here as well?"

"Something like that," Harry grinned as he turned around to face Rory, "Hello Aurora,"

"Hello, Mr Potter."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Harry?" The girl simply shrugged, "Well don't make me tell you again, Rory. Honestly, I've known you since you were eleven, enough with the formalities."

"Whatever you say," She paused, before grinning mischievously. "Mr Potter."

He chuckled before patting her shoulder.

"Congratulations on your graduation, Rory. Quite the brilliant speech you and that Head Boy wrote,"

"Thank-you, _Harry_."

"Now was that so hard,"

"Dreadfully so," She groaned and he laughed before slipping past her and into the hallway. Over her shoulder and out of her view, Harry's eyes met Teddy's and he winked.

"Hey," Teddy waved.

"Hey," She replied the corners of her lips tugging upwards.

"So ah, what brings you here?"

"To the bathroom?" He nodded, "Well, I guess what brings most people to the bathroom, Ted. I gotta go," She eyed the toilet behind him and he followed her gaze. It took him a moment or two to realise what she was hinting at.

"Right," He laughed. "Oh shit, right, sorry, I'll ah… I'll get out of your way."

"Thanks Teddy," Laughing, Rory watched him fumble his way out of the room before closing the door in his flushed face.

He groaned and tipped his forehead against the door.

"You are such an idiot, Ted. Such an idiot."

* * *

**Rory**

After the highly entertaining encounter with Teddy in the bathroom, Rory was still grinning to herself half an hour later as she roamed the well-decorated garden that was set up for the graduation party. The Weasley's had really outdone themselves, not that she was surprised – the family tended to go all out for anything that called for a celebration. From births to birthdays, graduations, holidays and simply for the sake of it, the Weasley's had the party thing down packed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rory saw a familiar dark head of hair talking to a pretty auburn-haired brunette. Stilling in her stroll, the girl watched with narrowed eyes as her fresh out of fifth-year cousin attempted to chat-up her former house Quidditch team-mate and close friend, Molly Weasley II. The sixth-year going into Seventh-year seemed, to Rory's surprise, quite enthralled with whatever it was her cousin had to say, and though she knew Molly could handle herself, it unsettled her all the same.

Damian Bell's reputation preceded him.

And it wasn't a good one.

However, before she could intervene, another familiar dark-head appeared directly in front of her.

"Lydia, hi."

"Rory!" Throwing herself at her, Lydia Pine all but squeezed the life out of Rory as her tight embrace cut off her air supply.

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks cuz," Barely able to gasp out the response, Rory attempted some form of a return hug to the cousin she hadn't seen since Christmas. "What're you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I just didn't know you'd be coming."

"Mr and Mrs Weasley sent out an invitation to Mum and Dad, and our grandparents. They said that seeing how this was your graduation party as well, you should have more of your family here."

"Really?" Shocked and moved, Rory turned her gaze from Lydia as the girl finally released her and tried to find the older couple.

"That's really nice of them,"

"Yeah," Lydia agreed, "But really, Ro, congratulations. Sorry I couldn't make it to the ceremony,"

"That's ok."

"I really wish I could've been there though, heard your speech was incredible."

"I wouldn't say incredible,"

"Stop selling yourself short, kid." Rory shrugged. "Ro-"

"Enough about me, what about you? How were your travels? Aunty Padma tells me you were in Greece this last week, without me - You bitch."

"Wow, Mum really doesn't know how to keep a secret." Lydia shook her disappointedly. "I know we promised to always go

there together, but Finlay and Portia wanted to do something to finish off our trip so, yeah."

"I'm not mad at you, Lyd." Rory grinned, "It sounds like you had a really amazing time."

"I mean yeah, in between the lessons and long hours – it was pretty great."

Rory's older cousin, Lydia Pine, after graduating from Hogwarts the year previous had spent her summer after school travelling on her own before settling down at teacher's college. However, after spending three months abroad in exotic and exciting places, staying stuck in one place in a dreary building only caused the life to slowly drain from her.

After lots of research and multiple interviews with her Professors, Lydia worked out an agreement where she could spend her first year of her three-year degree studying at the school's sister facility in Africa. While there, Lydia had been able to do some hands-on-learning by teaching in third-world classrooms and touring the landscape.

Now that her year aboard had come to an end, Lydia had returned to England, the travel-bug some what sated as she prepared herself for the next two years she'd spend in the British Magical Teaching college.

"Well, I want to hear all about it."

"We can have a cousin day tomorrow, just the two of us. How does that sound?"

"Awesome," Rory grinned up at her cousin, beaming happily at being back with her first best friend. "It's really great to see you again, Lyds. I missed you loads,"

"Aw sweetie, I missed you too!" Squeezing her back into a breath-stealing hug, Lydia cooed. "But I'm back to stay this time,"

"You better," Narrowing her gaze on the dark-haired girl, Rory pointed her finger at Lydia threateningly.

"Promise to take you with me next time?" In an appeasing bid, Lydia pouted.

"Sounds good," The girls laughed, falling into step beside each other as they wandered the garden catching up. As they passed the figures that had caused Rory to stop in the first place, Lydia pulled a disgusted face.

"Is that your cousin with Molly?"

"Yeah,"

"The poor girl," Knowing full well the extent of Damian's reputation and ways with girls, Lydia sighed dramatically. "I really thought she'd have known better."

"It's not her fault he's so bloody charming. I mean if you weren't practically family to him, or gay, he'd probably hit on you as well."

"_Or gay_," Lydia giggled at the tag-on, "Yeah, I think it's more the gay factor than the practically family thing that stops him. The idea that I could turn him down because I'm not attracted to his gender most likely turns him off – wouldn't want a tar on his perfect record."

"He's not _that_bad, Lydia."

"You have to say that; you're related to him."

"I do not!" Huffing but laughing all the same, Rory slapped Lydia on the arm. "He may flirt with anything that moves, and chase anything in a skirt – but at least he hasn't gotten a girl pregnant yet." The two girls shared a look before reaching out and tapping the trunk of the tree closest to them.

"Wouldn't want to jinx it,"

"Yeah."

* * *

**Victoire**

Arriving late to the party and as the last of the expected guests, Vic spent close to two hours talking to her family members and listening to them congratulate her on being signed to the Falcons and being suffocated by their hugs.

Ducking out while they were distracted by an explosion caused by James, Freddie and Louis, Victoire stuck to the shadows as

she sought out any face that could save her from being nearly suffocated by a loving family member.

Across the crowd, near the apple trees at the back of garden, Vic all but cheered out loud when she found Teddy and Rory talking to an unfamiliar dark-haired girl. Zig-zagging across the lawn, and hiding behind various relatives whenever she thought she saw one of her grandmothers, Vic came to a stop in front of her closest friends breathing heavily.

"Alright there Vic?" She held up a finger in pause at Teddy's amused question. Upon catching her breath, she stood up straight and immediately locked eyes with the unknown girl.

Long black hair hung around her shoulders, framing her face and highlighting the olive complexion she bore. Deep brown eyes watched her quizzically, pink lips pouted in a secretive smile and Vic's breath was stolen from her all anew.

"Vic?" Blinking slowly from the trance she found herself in, Victoire tore her gaze from the dark-haired girl's and looked over at Rory. "You ok?"

"Hmm-hmmn," She nodded almost too enthusiastically. "Sorry, I had to escape from my family."

"Yeah?" Rory asked watching with a smirk as Vic continued to steal glances at the girl beside her.

"They were congratulating me on the Falcons," Distractedly, Vic didn't register what she'd said until both Teddy and Rory were standing up abruptly and gasping.

"The Falcons?! Does that mean…?"

"Did you get an offer?"

She grinned broadly in answer.

"OH MY GOD!" Screaming, Rory practically deafened Victoire as she leapt at her and wrapped her arms tight around her neck.

"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU, GIRL!"

"Thank-you." Her excitement renewed, Vic jumped around in circles with Rory and then Teddy when the older boy swept her up in a hug.

"Congratulations," The dark-haired girl offered when Vic was released from the hold of her overly excited best friends.

"Thanks," Shyly, she smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Lydia Pine, I'm Rory's older cousin." Vague recognition washed over Victoire at the introduction, images of seeing a slightly younger version of the dark-haired girl in a green and silver uniform wandering the halls of Hogwarts passed through her mind.

"Victoire Weasley," She extended her hand, and Lydia accepted it in a handshake with a bemused look to her face. Caught up in each other, neither noticed the quiet, excited way in which Rory ushered Teddy away.

* * *

**Teddy**

"Rora, where are we going?"

"Ssh! Don't distract them," Covering his mouth with her hand and thereby forcing him to crouch to accommodate her shorter height, Rory glared at Teddy before dragging him across the garden away from her cousin and Vic. Once they were a safe enough distance away from the duo, Rory moved her hand from his mouth and dropped down onto the lawn with a broad grin.

"Would you mind explaining to me what all that was about?" He asked while dropping down next to her as she lay on the grass staring at the stars.

"You really are oblivious, aren't you Tedster?" Rolling her head to the side, Rory looked up at him. He shrugged. "Maybe I'll tell you when you're older,"

"Rory," He moaned, she smiled secretively. "Rory!"

She still didn't respond.

"No, not the silent treatment! Please Rora, just tell me!"

"Nuh-uh."

"You're mean,"

"You'll get over it,"

"Hmm." Folding his arms, he turned away from her with a huff.

Watching him with a twinkle in her green eyes, Rory wrapped a hand around his elbow startling him enough that his pose relaxed slightly. Taking the change in his stance to her advantage, she yanked on his arm and pulled him back so that he was lying on the grass next to her.

"Oompf!" He landed with a loud thump, his body bouncing slightly at the impact and though she laughed, Rory did ask him if he was alright.

"Sorry… I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-to pull you so strong." She paused to recollect herself and as seriously as she could whilst laughing without restraint asked, "Are you ok?"

Teddy didn't hear her.

Lying on the ground, looking up at the light-haired brunette that hovered over him, all he could concentrate on was how beautiful she looked laughing under the stars.

"Ted," She shook him from his thoughts, "You alright?"

"Yeah, sorry – I'm fine, stop stressing you didn't hurt me."

"Phew," She dramatically wiped at her forehead before slapping his chest playfully.

"You're really bloody violent, you know that Rora?"

"I am not." She poked his ribs.

"Are too." He jabbed her back.

"Am not."

Poke.

"Are too."

Poke.

"Am not."

Poke.

"Are too."

Poke.

"Am not."

He grabbed her finger before she could poke him again. Rolling onto his side and leaning on his elbow, he hovered over her slightly. Honey eyes locked on green, and he caught the way her cheeks flushed slightly at their close proximity. He started to lean forward, his hold on her finger loosening as he did when something in her eyes changed and he found himself staring back up at the stars again instead of at her.

He could still feel the prints of her palms on his chest from where she'd pushed him backwards, and though he was slightly embarrassed, at the sound of her laughter, so natural and without any hint of regret, he felt the flush fade from his face.

"So, Miss Graduate, what can we expect from our former Head Girl?"

"Well, Mr Auror-in-Training and former Head Boy, if you must know I'm going to be working for my grandparents. At least for the summer and rest of this year,"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, gotta save up if I want to open my own store."

"You still want to do that?"

"Hey! Pine Tales is going to be the best damn bookstore the Wizarding World has ever seen, thank-you very much." Indignantly,

Rory sniffed and tipped her nose in the air. Chuckling slightly, Teddy placed a hand on her arm.

"Hey, I wasn't saying anything against it. I think it's great you want to open up your own place, Rora, I really do. I was just

surprised that after all these years, it's what you still wanted to do."

"After seeing how much my grandparents love their restaurant, it made me want my own place like that. I don't know, I just – it's always been my dream to have a little bookstore people could find their own escape in."

He grinned softly at her, and she shot him a small one in return.

"Well, I can promise you that I'll be the first in line at your opening."

"You will?"

"You betcha, Rora." She smiled at him warmly before rolling over and wrapping her arms around his middle. Surprised at the hug, Teddy did his best to return it.

"Thank-you,"

"You're welcome." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, pretending for just a moment that she wasn't thanking him for being a friend but for being something more.

When she pulled away and rolled onto her back, he kept an arm around her shoulders for her to rest on, but she surprised him further by laying her head on his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

_Late June 2019_

**Victoire**

It had been a year since her Hogwarts graduation and signing with the Falcons, and though she'd missed the school, her professors, the food, and her dorm, Victoire had to admit that Rory had been right when she'd said that their life after Hogwarts would be just as exciting as their life as students.

The past twelve months had been spent training with her new teammates, playing the sport she loves for a team she adores, and finally living on her own.

Although they had originally planned to live together, she and Rory had found that as Victoire's Falcon schedule meant she had to be within reasonable distance to their stadium at all times during the season, and with Rory working at her grandparents' restaurant in Tutshill – any living quarters they did find often conflicted with one of theirs job requirements. Thus after a month of searching, the two had agreed that for the time being it was probably for the best that they lived separately.

Much to the relief of their various family members, who didn't trust the two girls to be able to survive while living together.

However, despite not living together and working in different areas, the two girls still managed to see an awful lot of each other. And, just as promised, Victoire managed to get Rory a free ticket to every game she played in.

With the new Quidditch season just around the corner in a couple of months' time, Victoire found her amount of free time quickly dwindling as her coach, Rhaewyn Port, fought to keep the Falcons in fighting shape by issuing constant all day practices.

Although, considering that the last season had only just ended two weeks' prior with the Falmouth Falcons coming in a close third on the League rankings, Vic thought that she and the team deserved just a little time off to celebrate all the hard work they'd put in to move up the table from where they'd started the last season off at tenth.

It was not, by any means, an easy feat. And while Rhaewyn and their Manager, Otto James, commended them for their effort, neither seemed willing to ease up on the training.

It was for that reason that in late June, in the heat of the Summer weather, Victoire found herself grumbling and groaning as she stumbled through her tiny flat towards the bathroom. Dropping her gear as she went, Vic tripped over the strap of her bag and went sailing to the ground in a string of curses.

"Motherfuc-" Sucking her lip in between her teeth, she closed her eyes against the pain of her shin meeting the wooden floorboards rather unpleasantly. "Goddamn,"

Vic rolled over onto her back and stared up at her ceiling in utter misery.

"Everything hurts,"

Refusing to get up for quite some time, Victoire watched the peeling paint on her ceiling only choosing to get off the ground when her eyes started blurring and the shapes she'd spotted seemed to be reaching out to her.

She brushed off the back of her pants and gasped when the sudden movement caused a sharp pain to run up her back.

"Looks like I'm having another ice bath tonight, how fan-fucking-tastic!" Throwing her head back with an irritated groan, Vic stomped down the hallway to her bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

* * *

**Rory**

Rory had worked her butt off everyday for the last year, only taking a day off when her grandparents forced her to. But after all the long hours, perving patrons, frustrating customers and hair-tearing near-misses, she'd finally saved enough money to purchase the quaint shop in Diagon Alley that had caught her eye one day while she'd been surveying local real estate with Lydia, her mother, and her Aunty Katie - her mother's younger sister.

Standing under the freshly painted sign that hung above the store's door, Rory felt the pride that had been swelling within her all day lodge itself in her throat. Her father's hand squeezed her shoulder and she felt his lips brush against her temple as he stood back to appreciate the hard work they and several others had put into renovating the building.

Four full days of work, hundreds of layers of paint, new windows, oiled door hinges, a fresh sign, and multiple hours of back-breaking cleaning and scrubbing later, Pine Tales was about ready for opening.

"You did good, Princess." Ian Pine stated proudly to his daughter as he watched her take in her shop. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks Dad," She turned and looked at him. "For everything."

"You're welcome," He held his arm out to her, "Come on, let's finish stocking those books before they put everything in the wrong place."

She grinned at his knowing look, and following him back inside, Rory laughed when she found her Uncles, Aunts and cousins who weren't in Hogwarts stuck in the middle of all the boxes she had piled in the room.

"Help!" Lydia cried as she struggled to stop a particular tower stack of boxes from collapsing on her. Jumping to his feet, their mutual cousin – Easton Pine – grabbed the back of the top box and settled it back into place stabilising the tower. "Thanks East,"

He smiled at her, tipping an imaginary hat at her before going back to where he'd been organising his own box of books to the catalogue Rory had spent hours the night before typing up.

"Thanks guys, for doing this – I know you've probably got a hundred better things you'd prefer to do on a weekend, but it means a lot to me that you'd be here."

"Hush it, you sap," Nadine Patil-Pine, Lydia's older sister, remarked. "You're family; it's nothing."

"Still,"

"Still nothing, honey – you'd do the same for us." Nadine reminded her, and she smiled. "But you're welcome all the same,"

"Thanks."

"Now then, where do the comics go?" Zach Pine, Ian's brother and Lydia's father, asked.

"Muggle or wizarding?" Rory asked as she twisted her way through the maze of boxes.

"Muggle."

"Ah well, I was thinking of setting the muggle section over here." She raised her hands up in the direction she was thinking,

"And fiction was going to go on the right, Non-fiction the left, so – put them on a shelf opposite the cases where the books will go." Rory closed her eyes briefly, seeing the layout in her mind and she nodded.

"Yep, here I'll grab you the shelf."

* * *

**Teddy**

While Rory had been working to save up and buy her own store, and Victoire had been playing Quidditch for the Falcons, Teddy had been completing his final year of training to become an Auror.

It had been a gruelling year, following orders from overbearing supervisors, waking up at the crack of dawn everyday for training camp, and attempting to prove his worth whenever he and his partner were given the opportunity to do field work.

But now that his three years were up and he'd passed the final exam, Teddy had sat through the graduation ceremony a week ago with a broad, proud grin on his lips thinking of the future that now lay ahead of him because of his hard work.

Every shed of blood, every bruise, every sleepless night, and every scream of frustration had been worth it, because he had made

it.

He was a qualified Auror.

Him.

Teddy Lupin.

It was all so surreal, that for the days that followed his graduation he was certain he was going to wake up back in his dorm room in Hogwarts and it would have all been a dream.

A beautiful, painfully realistic dream that would have only been made better if his parents had been present in it.

"Teddy!" He shook his head of the thoughts that clouded it and was able to pull himself back into reality in time to catch the flying girl that wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Rory, hi!"

"Hi!" She squeezed his neck tighter for a moment before letting go and stepped back from him. "Sorry, I'm just really excited!"

"Yeah?" He grinned, her excitement was infectious.

"Hmm-hmmn!" She nodded, giggling slightly as she jumped in a circle almost as if she had too much energy and didn't know what to do with it.

"And why is that?"

"Because we finished the shop today!" She squealed and his face dropped in shock.

"That's amazing, Rora, I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, oh you've got to come see it, Ted – it's… it's… It's everything I've ever dreamed of." Teddy smiled at the complete and utter happiness that Rory exuded in that moment, his heart swelling in his chest as he watched the way her pale green eyes glittered under the lighting of the bar they were in.

She was so beautiful.

"How about tomorrow?"

"What?" Having gotten caught up in her own daydream about her shop, Rory was confused by the question he'd suddenly posed to her.

"Me coming to see your shop, would tomorrow work? I could come around during my lunch break at work."

"You really want to?"

"How many times have we been over this Rora?" He shot her a serious look, and she shuffled sheepishly. "This is your shop, something you've worked so hard for this last year – of course I want to see it."

"Ok, tomorrow works."

"Good, I'll see you there at 12:30 then."

"12:30 it is," She nodded her head promptly. "Right, should we try and find Vic? She was the one who organised this outing after all,"

"She may have organised it, but that doesn't mean she'll be here on time."

"I'm honestly surprised her coach hasn't suspended her from the team yet – I don't believe she's made it to trainings on time like she proclaims she has."

"Port wouldn't suspend Vic, she's the best Keeper the Falcons have seen in decades."

"Tetchley wasn't so bad."

"He wasn't, but he still let more in than saved."

"Well yeah," Begrudgingly, Rory agreed with Teddy.

"And in comparison to Vic, he's really not at her level."

"No one is at Vic's level."

"That's true," They smirked and laughed. "But seriously, Port wouldn't suspend Vic, she may be tardy occasionally but she's a dedicated player and takes the game seriously – not to mention her skills match her talk – the Falcons wouldn't want to lose a player like that."

"You've got a lot of faith in her, huh?" There was something in her gaze as she looked up at him, something that made him blush and he knew without checking that his blue hair had adopted the same colour his face had.

"She's a good player, Rora, I don't know what else to say."

"She is – oh, speaking of the devil, there she is!" Stepping into the wizarding bar that was obscured from muggle view on the streets of London, Vic earned herself quite the attention from the other patrons both from her recognisable status as a Weasley and as a Falcons' player. Sitting where they were by the bar, Rory waved her arms above her head to get the girl's attention. Teddy grabbed the back of her shirt when her erratic movement caused her to almost fall sideways off the barstool.

"Oops, thanks Ted."

He scoffed, shaking his head at her.

"Vic! Icky-Vicky! Vic!" Startling at the use of the childhood nickname she'd banned the both of them from ever using in public, Victoire glared daggers at Rory from across the bar as she finally spotted them.

"You little twat," Vic half-laughed, half-grumbled once she was in hearing distance of them.

"Oh you love it," Rory winked leaping up to hug her best friend, "How're you?"

"Sore, tired but good. So bleeding grateful I've got the day off tomorrow,"

"I can imagine," Rory remarked as she hopped back onto the barstool and Vic greeted Teddy with a hug. "How many days in a row has it been?"

"Nine. Nine days since my last day off." Vic collapsed on the stool that was vacant on the other side of Rory. "I swear; I am this close to killing Rhaewyn." Pinching her thumb and forefinger together for emphasis, Vic waved down the bartender for their strongest shot of firewhisky. Throwing it back with only a slight wince at the aftertaste, Vic turned to the two of them with a grin.

"But enough about me, what about you two? How's life as a qualified Auror, Ted? How's the store going, Ro?"

"It's great, I mean it's taking a bit to get used to, and it's just a lot of paperwork at the moment, but Terrence, my partner, and I are hoping to get our first case in a couple of weeks."

"That's awesome, Ted!" The girls chorused together, and signalled the bartender for a round of shots in celebration. "Here's to Teddy and his making it in the Auror Department."

"To Teddy." They cheered, clinked the shots together and downed them.

Rory coughed as it burned its' way down her throat and grimaced.

"Man, I forget how much I hate that stuff." The other two laughed at her pain and she poked her tongue out at them.

"So," Vic asked excitedly, "How's the store?"

"It's all finished – well the renovations and stuff are. I've still got a few boxes of stock left to unpack, but that should only take a

couple more days. Gah, I'm so excited!" Rory spun around on the bar stool before slapping her hands down on the bar to stop herself. "Dad reckons I should be all settled in for an opening sometime next week; but I don't want to have one until the kids are back from school. It wouldn't feel right without them."

"True, besides – can you imagine how upset Brea and Hannah would be with you if they weren't there?"

All three of them shivered at the thought. Damian's younger sister, Hannah, and Rory's younger sister, Brea, were a force to be

reckoned with when they felt like they'd missed out on something important. Occasionally, it was down right frightening, and Teddy could still feel the bruise that Brea had given him when he hadn't told her when he'd told Vic and Rory that he'd been made Head Boy.

"Well, here's to you, Miss Pine – and the success of your store!" Cheering to another round of shots, Rory pretended to take hers before passing it over to Teddy when Vic wasn't looking.

Rory had always been fussy about her alcohol, very specific about what she liked, but never wanting to draw attention to herself

over the fact, she and Ted had formed a solid system to get her out of drinking what she didn't like. Typically, this involved Teddy distracting those around them while she tipped her shot out or pretended to take a sip; but when situations were dire and there was nowhere for her to empty out the liquor – Teddy willingly sacrificed himself to do the honours.

As quickly as one could recover from slinging back his third shot of firewhisky, Teddy fought the cringe that wanted to take over his features as Victoire turned back to them with a vibrant grin.

"What?" Rory asked, pausing when Vic pointed to her ears. Listening, Teddy only shook his head with his confusion when he didn't understand what the girl was getting at. "Oh my Merlin!"

Laughing or squealing he wasn't sure what he could call the sound that emitted from the girls, Rory grabbed Vic's hand and dragged her over to the minute dance floor the bar provided for the patrons. The entire time screaming how "this was their song."

Amused at their antics, Teddy rested his elbow on the slightly sticky bar top and watched as two of his oldest and closest friends danced wildly to the Muggle song the bar had surprised everybody by playing.

The lyrics of some old indie song echoed off the walls, Vic and Rory both singing at the top of their lungs as they waved their arms up above their heads. Though those around them were concentrated largely on the way the strawberry blonde Weasley moved, Teddy's gaze was locked solely on the smile that etched itself on Rory's lips and the way her hips swayed to the music.

Teddy had known Rory since she was a teeny little eleven-year-old and she'd stumbled into Victoire on the platform whilst they'd both been attempting to board the train. As a third year, he hadn't paid much attention to the younger girl, only ever regarding her as the best friend of Little Vicky. But then in the summer of his Seventh Year and of the girls' Fifth Year, when he'd been stressing over being made Head Boy, Rory had found him near panic attack behind the shed at the Burrow. She'd calmed him down and had held him while he'd shamefully broke down at the constant reminder of the absence of his parents; and when the tears had dried and he'd tried to walk away with some form of dignity left, Rory had kissed his cheek and told him how proud his parents would be of him.  
It was in that moment that the short brunette had gone from family friend to girl of his dreams, and ever since then he'd been crushing on her hard.

Though in recent months, now that she was out of Hogwarts and he got to see more of her, Teddy had started to question whether it was still just a crush.

* * *

**Rory**

Slipping through the now crowded bar after a trip to the bathroom, Rory struggled to see through the haze of smoke and dim lighting. Tripping over her shoes for the twelfth time, she took a moment to breathe by holding onto the bar and asked the bartender for a glass of water.

With the glass in her hand, she set back out on her journey to the booth she and the other two had scored after hers and Vic's performance on the dance floor. Several hours had passed since then, and though she was nowhere near the point of no return, Rory could definitely feel the effect of the alcohol she had consumed that evening - Reason two for her drink of water.

"Rorrry, there you are!" Vic giggled at the sight of the brunette appearing quite suddenly in front of their booth after she'd squeezed herself through the gap in between two rather brutish looking men. "We were about to send out a search party, weren't we Ted."

"Yep!" He cheered his drink to her, the dark liquor sloshed over the rim and spilt on the table. "Whoops,"

"You two are hammered," She grinned warmly at the familiar sight, already beginning to sober up now that she'd had something other than alcohol enter her system. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to slip off now."

"What?! No! Rory, you can't leave us!" Pouting, Vic wrapped her arms around Rory and hugged her side tightly. "Don't leave me,"

"I'm sorry Vic, you know I wouldn't if I didn't have to." She patted the blonde's head affectionately, and though she groaned, Victoire reluctantly detangled herself from her side.

"What's up?" Teddy only slightly slurred.

"Easton, one of my cousin's on my dad's side, just rang." Rory shook her head derisively, "Idiot more hammered than the two of you combined, it took me forever to understand him over the phone, but basically he's gone and splinched himself."

"Shit, he alright?"

"Yeah he's fine, his mate took over the call after I got that out of him. They're at St. Mungos, getting East's pinkie toe regrown."

"Why'd they ring you?" Vic asked, stealing a sip from Rory's glass of water.

"Because if they'd rung his parents, he'd have gotten an earful about not being responsible and how he's jeopardising his career in the Ministry by not being able to hold his liquor better. If he'd rung our grandparents, Gramps would have told him he was a disappointment to the Pine name for being such a bloody lightweight. Long story short," She heaved a sigh, "I was the only one he knew, even in his incredibly drunken state, that wouldn't yell at him for splinching himself. Doesn't mean I'm not going to give him shit for the rest of his life though,"

"Well of course, it's your duty as a cousin."

"Exactly," She clicked her fingers at Teddy before standing up from the booth. "Anyway, I should get going."

"You're not going to apparate are you?" The older young man asked her sternly and she chuckled, impressed by his ability to still be so protective even when he was drunk.

"No, _Dad_, I'm going to catch a cab."

"Good," He cheered her again before downing the rest of his drink in one gulp. "I'll see you tomorrow then,"

"If you're in any state to," She marvelled leaning over the table to kiss his cheek. "Make sure she gets home alright?"

"Always, and I will see you tomorrow, Rora. I promise."

"Alright Mr Auror," She smiled, "See you Vic, be good for Lupin."

"Always," The strawberry blonde mimicked, snorting at her own joke. Rolling their eyes at her, Rory waved her final goodbye before slinking off out of the bar.

* * *

**Victoire**

More shots, drinks and cocktails passed through Vic's hands after Rory left her and Teddy at the bar than she could count. After surpassing the point of no return, and after Teddy had decided that he should probably leave before he definitely couldn't get up for work later that morning, the two finally made their exit from the bar.

With her arm slung around his waist, and his over her shoulder, the two used the other for support as they wandered down the London streets at three o'clock on a Monday morning.

"Yooou really are sssuch a good f-friend, Tedster." Vic slurred as her head lolled on his shoulder.

"You a-aren't so bad y-yourself, Icky-Vicky." Only slightly less drunk than she was, Ted found himself able to be a little more eloquent in his speech.

"Fanks," She grinned up at him before pressing a wet kiss to his cheek.

There was a flash of light from behind them, one that caught both of them off guard and resulted in Vic stumbling over her heels. Grateful to his Auror training for enhancing his reflexes, Teddy was able to tighten his hold on Vic and stop her from falling even in his inebriated state. He pulled her in against his chest, and her hands locked tight on his shirt as she struggled to regain her footing.

"Woah, that was scary." She whispered before looking up at him in awe. "You're my hero, Teddy."

"It was… I mean, yeah." He felt pretty chuffed at his own quick thinking, and subtly flexed his muscles under his shirt.

"You saved my life." Vic tipped her head back, her eyes glazed over. "How can I e-ever r-repay you?" She hiccupped.

"You don't have to re-re..."

"Re-pay?"

"Yeah, that." He grinned at her. "It's all p-part of the job thingy."

Vic watched him through heavily blinking eyes, all that she had to drink catching up with her. Tiredly she snuggled into his chest and pressed her face into the crook between his head and shoulder.

There was another flash of light, and Teddy blinked as it almost blinded him.  
Confusedly, he looked around the two of them to find a blurry figure ducking down an alleyway with a square object in their hands.

"Come on Vic, we should get home."


	4. Chapter 4

**Rory**

Feeling slightly vindictive, Rory yanked the curtains to her living room open wide and grinned when a groan was emitted from the couch behind her. Following the first sound of life from the bumbling idiots who were camping out in her flat, several curses were unleashed as the pain from a regrowing toe hit home to the larger of the two idiots.

Easton's whimpering cry turned into a hushed sob as his own tears of pain awoke the thumping hangover in his head.

"Jesus Christ," Glancing over her shoulder, Rory found her older cousin clutching his temples as he pushed his head into the cushion, effectively rubbing the dry vomit he had on his face into the material.

"_Great, _now I've got to burn that as well. Thanks East," Grumbling to herself as she stormed from the window to the kitchen that flowed in an open plan style into the living room, Rory smacked her cousin on the back of the head.

"Fuck, Ro, what was that for?" Lifting his head up, he squinted at her through bleary eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," She drawled sarcastically, "Maybe for vomiting all over my bathroom floor last night, or for almost setting my kitchen on fire when you and dick-face over there tried to make toast at four am, or perhaps it was the fact that you attempted disapparating while incredibly inebriated and splinched your pinkie toe off? Hm?"

"Right," Easton cringed and sat up, and though he turned an unattractive shade of green, he did manage to look somewhat apologetic as he faced her. "I'm sorry Rory."

"Yeah, you say that every time." Rory pursed her lips before sighing, knowing that she could never stay mad at him for too long. "Go have a shower, I'll make you something to eat."

"You're the best, cuz." Struggling to his feet, Easton blew her a kiss before wobbling his way to the bathroom.

The door slammed shut behind him, and she smirked as she heard his cursing at the loud noise.

There was a thump to her left and she looked down to find that Easton's partner in crime had rolled off the armchair he'd been awkwardly curled up on after being startled by the slamming door. Atticus Huntly hugged the floor whilst groaning dramatically, and she snickered when she caught sight of the attractive artwork Easton had drawn onto the boy's right cheek with permanent marker earlier that morning.

Rory's nickname for the poor boy truly suited him perfectly.

"Mornin'," He slurred, drool staining the rug he lay on.

"Morning Att," Chuckling to herself, Rory left the hung-over young man to his own devices in her living room and started making the hot breakfast she'd promised her cousin.

Several rashes of bacon, a carton of eggs and an entire loaf of bread later, Easton and Atticus were leaving her apartment somewhat more put together than they were when they had woken up.

Even though she'd fought till she was red in the face to get Easton to tidy up his and Atticus' mess (he'd disapparated the moment she'd pulled out her wand), Rory was left alone with the disaster that tended to follow her cousin like a bad smell. Muttering dark threats and empty promises that this would be the last time she helped him out, Rory was more grateful than ever that magic existed. She didn't even want to think about what a nightmare her bathroom would have been if she didn't have those trusty cleaning spells up her sleeves – she'd probably have had to burn the flat to the ground if she was a muggle. It would've been the only way to ensure that the biohazard Easton had created didn't infect anybody.

"Stupid little fucker, if he wasn't family I swear to Merlin I'd – WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? OH MY GOD! EASTON WENDELL PINE YOU ARE DEAD!"

* * *

**Teddy**

Sitting up in his bed, Teddy clutched his head in between his hands as the full extent of his night out hit home.

"Jesus, I'm never touching firewhisky again." Keeping his eyes shut against the rising sunlight that flickered in through his thin curtains, Teddy blindly made his way to his bathroom.

After several hangover cure potions, a heavy breakfast and multiple promises to himself in the mirror that he would never drink that much again, Teddy disapparated from his flat barely in time for work.

"Merlin Ted, you look like shite." The laughing voice of his partner, Terrence Reed, greeted him the moment he walked through the doors of the Auror Department and made it to his desk. Glaring across the space that connected their desks together, Teddy placed his things down and headed towards the common area to make himself a dark coffee.

Once the God given liquid had entered his system, he found himself more capable of dealing with the snide remarks he knew would be thrown his way that morning and sat back down at his desk.

"Big night out, huh?"

"Great night, worst hangover." Teddy answered with a pained look earning him a commiserating grimace from Terrence.

"Tend to go hand in hand, unfortunately." The dark-skinned Auror grimaced before picking up a folder from his side of their shared desks. "Finchley dropped this off just before you got here,"

"Joyful," He tipped his head dryly and took the folder from Terrence's outstretched hand. "More paperwork, just what I felt like doing."

* * *

**Victoire**

The sound of hooting owls awoke her that morning, the squawking doing wonders for the blistering headache that haunted her. Pushing away the blankets that cocooned her, Victoire sat up with a death-warmed over look on her face. Upon sensing her return to the living, the owls' hooting reached a new octave as they all demanded to be tipped for their service. Recognising two of them as family owls and the third as the one that delivered her Witch Weekly magazine, Vic quickly paid the service owl before finding the right treats to tip her Mother's and grandmother's owls.

"Just what I need to start my week off with," She sighed somewhat bitterly as she picked up the thick letters she'd received from Fleur and Molly senior. "A thumping headache and relatives concerned with what I'm doing with my life. Spectacular,"

Deciding that she would tackle the letters after she was relatively less hung-over, Vic picked up the magazine and sauntered through her bedroom door into the kitchen that doubled as her living space. Dropping the copy of Witch Weekly on the bench, she made herself a large pot of coffee and put some bread in the toaster before dragging a chair over to the pot so she wouldn't have to make multiple trips back when she'd undoubtedly need a refill. Lifting her feet up onto the cushion of the seat, Vic hugged her legs to her chest as she opened her weekly source of derisive entertainment atop of her knees.

Thankfully, both for the safety of herself and her kitchen floor, the pot hadn't finished brewing yet, as the front cover would have had Victoire spit-taking rather dramatically and violently. For front and centre, under a flashing and obnoxiously moving title was a picture of her and Teddy from last night.

Except from the angle, the innocent way he'd supported her home while they'd both been drunk off their asses looked a little less than innocent and a little more… _intimate_.

_"__Jesus," S_he thought she was going to vomit, and it wasn't from the alcohol still floating around in her system.

Or at least, not entirely.

* * *

**Teddy**

Just before he was scheduled for his lunch break, Teddy begun to notice the strange way in which his colleagues were looking at him and the way they seemed to whisper a little quieter whenever he walked past their desks. Frowning, he leaned across the divide and tapped the page Terrence was reading through.

"T, is there something I should know about?"

"What do you mean, Ted?" A little irritated at being interrupted, Terrence glanced up at Teddy.

"Just – maybe I'm imagining it, but… Is there something on my face?"

"No?"

"Right, then why is everyone staring at me?"

"Nobody's-," Rolling his eyes, Terrence went to tell Teddy he was being dramatic when he noticed that Ted was in fact telling the truth. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" He protested before pausing. "At least, nothing that I know of."

"Must've been something pretty major,"

"Your speculating really isn't helping, T."

"You're the one that pointed it out," Terrence shrugged before moving Teddy's finger from the file on his desk and went back to work.

"I know that, but-"

"Lupin!" Finchley, one of the senior Auror's in the department, stood in the pathway at the end of the aisle where all the graduates were located. He quirked a brow when Teddy didn't immediately leap to his feet at his presence.

"Potter wants to see you in his office,"

"Right," Confused but hoping his godfather could tell him what the hell was going on, Teddy picked his wand up from his desk and followed Finchley to the Head Auror's private office.

Finchley shot him a smirk before disappearing, leaving Teddy a little unsettled as he cracked open the door to Harry Potter's office and slipped inside.

"Ted," Harry greeted him with a warm smile, instantly putting the young man at ease. "Have a seat,"

"Ah, am I in trouble?"

"No, why – have you done something?"

"No! No, I'm just – I don't know why you wanted to talk to me, and after noticing everybody in the Department staring at me, I figured I was in trouble when Finchley said you wanted to speak with me"

"Right, well you're not in trouble." Harry assuaged his worries. "As for all the stares, I can't speak for everyone in the Department, but it may have something to do with the cover of the Witch Weekly magazine that went out this morning."

"The Witch Weekly?" His confusion renewed, Teddy's brows furrowed when Harry handed him over a copy of the magazine.

"I'm confused, Ted. I thought you liked Rory?"

"I do, I – this isn't what it looks like, I was just helping Vic home after we had a few drinks last night, I swear." Defensively, Teddy scrunched up the cover of the magazine in his hand, refusing to look down at the picture of him and Vic that adorned it. "Rumours like this have been going around ever since the 2014 World Cup, Vic and I are just friends, Uncle Harry."

"It's not me you have to convince, Ted." Harry held his hands up in surrender, and Teddy flushed sheepishly.

"Ginny sent me this copy earlier saying that Bill wanted to have a word with you."

"Oh," The blood drained from his face, and the turquoise hue of his hair darkened with his worry. "Do you mind if I take my lunch break a little earlier?"

Harry shook his head, and Ted grinned at him weakly before hurrying out of the office, the Witch Weekly magazine still clutched tightly in his fist.

* * *

**Rory**

Still shivering at the horror her cousin had left in her bathroom, Rory fluttered around the second floor of her store finishing up the muggle section she had dedicated the level to. There was a jingle from the floor below as someone entered the shop and she glanced over at the clock that was hanging on the wall in shock to find that it was midday.

"Huh," She muttered, dropping the stack of comics back into their box as she made her way towards the spiral staircase. "I'll be right down, Ted."

He called back some reply to her but she didn't catch it, the music she had blasting from the overhead speakers drowned him out. Waving her wand quickly, the few books she had lying about stacked themselves neatly in the corner and once satisfied that they would be stable, Rory slid down the banister to the bottom level.

"Sup Tedster," Grinning as she hopped off the end, rather pleased that she hadn't toppled backwards like her mother had told her she would, Rory took a bow when Teddy smirked at her.

"It's looking great, Rora."

"Thanks," She beamed at him, taking pride in his compliment. He smiled softly back at her but it quickly became a grimace, and she felt her own slip away. "What's wrong?"

"Vic really needs to stop kissing me."

"What do you-?" Stepping forward, Rory accepted the magazine Teddy all but threw at her and her eyes widened when she saw the cover.

"**_More than friends at last?"_**

The flashing golden title faded in and out of focus a top of a dark photo of a couple on the London streets. The woman was leaning heavily on the man, her face tilted towards his as her lips brushed against what could've been his mouth or cheek – the angle of the photo made it impossible to tell. But, what could clearly be seen, was the bright turquoise of Teddy's hair and the unmistakeable beauty mark on the strawberry blonde's cheek that any who had ever met Victoire knew identified the woman as her.

"Blimey," Speechless, Rory looked up from the cover to Teddy's pleading expression. "Remind me to never leave the two of you alone together again,"

"Rory, this is serious!" Irritated with her laughter, Teddy all but stomped his way across the store as he began pacing. Rory quietened at his clearly distressed appearance, and she sighed, dropping the magazine on a stray shelf.

"So a reporter snapped the two of you looking a little cosy, I don't get what the big deal is? People have been speculating about the two of you since you were old enough to talk. This," She gestured at the bedraggled magazine, "Is nothing new, so why is it stressing you out so much?"

"Because this time it's different!" He shouted before he could catch himself, and his chest heaved as his body finally caught up with his raging emotions. "It's just… different."

* * *

**Teddy**

"It's just… different," He muttered at a softer volume, ducking his gaze from hers as she crossed the floor to stand in front of him.

"Why?" Her voice was gentle but searching, and he could tell she was trying to read the answer from his expression. "Ted?"

Teddy looked up, his shoulders sagging with the weight of the secret he'd been carrying for the last four years, and he swallowed thickly. Her head shook imploringly, her green eyes wide as she stared at him and the desire to tell her was there, the words were on the tip of his tongue –

The chime above the door jingled again as it was thrown open, and any intent he had to admit everything to Rory was thrown with it, for Victoire had just entered the store with trouble burning in her blue eyes.

"Have you seen this morning's Witch Weekly?" Her foot slid on the magazine that was still on the ground. "I see that you have. Right, you see this blasted thing has caused me quite the trouble this morning. First," She slams the door shut behind her as if to vent her frustration, and Rory visibly winced as the hinges creaked in protest. "I wake up to the most killer hangover to find three owls shitting all over my bedroom; after sorting that mess out, and realising that I've got the longest and fattest letters in existence from Mama and Nana Molly, I'm waiting for my coffee to brew to find that Ted and I have made the front of the biggest gossip manufacturer in Great Britain. Just joyful, I tell you."

"Vic-" Rory tries to cut in but is out-shouted by the over-powering, on a roll Victoire Weasley.

"And then, after reading the blasted article that suggests that Ted and I have been having a surreptitious affair since the 2014 World Cup, because apparently Teddy fixing the binoculars for me was, hands-down, the most romantic thing a teenage boy could do for his secret lover. The photos they'd snapped, the second of which was taken after I'd tripped thanks to that blasted flashing light, which, coincidentally I now realise was a camera flash – most definitely that of that fucking rat who took these photos." Vic paused to take a breath. "The photos, sure, are a little incriminating, but if you look at them without knowledge of those filthy rumours you wouldn't see anything except for a mate helping another mate while they're both piss-drunk. Of course neither Mama nor Nana Molly are willing to accept that, because they're both desperate for me to be all loved up and shacked up with some guy by Christmas."

"Does your rant have a point, Vic?" Rory asked, seizing the lull in Vic's speech as a chance to get a word in edgeways.

"Yes, I'm getting there – be patient." Rory pulled a face at the blonde, which, if Teddy wasn't so strung out, would have made him laugh. "After I'd managed to calm down from reading that trash they call journalism, I thought, _hey, you know what would really make my day? If I read those letters my loving relatives sent me."_She snorted, "From start to finish both letters, all twelve pages – TWELVE – were about how hurt and betrayed they felt that I hadn't told them something was going on between Teddy and I. They said they'd given me so many opportunities to come clean about the secret relationship ever since James – the dick head – had told them about our kiss at King's Cross last year, but for me not to and for them to find out through an article was really upsetting. I mean, honestly, those two are such hypocrites, always harping on about how we shouldn't trust anything the media says, and to not listen to whatever Rita Skeeter 2.0 writes about us, but the moment something related to my love life comes up they're all over it like a rash. It's a-"

"VIC THE POINT PLEASE!"

"Conspiracy," Vic finished lamely, and she glanced sheepishly at the annoyed frown Rory was wearing. "My point is that I can't exactly tell Mama and Nana Molly that they're wrong, because (a) I did kiss Teddy last year, and (b) the photos are really incriminating. I mean, I could tell them but that would only make me look like a floozy for kissing guys I'm not remotely interested in- Don't you dare agree with that statement Aurora Pine."

Rory abruptly shut her mouth.

"And it would disappoint and embarrass them if I was to publicly come out and be all – "Sorry folks, that's just a picture of me absolutely shit-faced," not to mention the damage it might do to my reputation as a Quidditch Player if the League were to take interest in my hobby of bar-hopping."

"Then what do you want to do, Vic?" Speaking up for the first time since she'd entered Pine Tales, Teddy looked away from the hole he'd been burning in the floor to stare at Victoire.

"The only way I can get my family off my back about finding a nice guy to settle down with is whether I tell them I'm dating you, or I admit that I'm gay; and I'm not quite ready to come out yet. I mean, yeah sure I've accepted that I'm gay, but I still haven't figured out who I am with that new identity. I just… I just need a bit more time to find my feet." Licking her lips and wringing her hands together nervously, Vic glanced between her two best friends.

"If I'm understanding what you're getting at correctly," Teddy began, "You want to pretend that the article isn't false? That everyone isn't wrong in their assumptions?"

She nodded.

"So what, I'd be your fake boyfriend?"

"Well, actually, you'd be my beard."

"Your what?" Scoffing, he risked a glance at Rory to find her looking entirely too amused by the goings on.

"My beard. You know, the person of the opposite sex gays use, to disguise the fact that they aren't straight?"

"Right, yeah." He drawled.

"Anyway, what do you say?" Her eyes wide with hope and a little desperation, Vic clasped her hands together in front of her chest pleadingly. "Will you be my beard?"

"Ah…" He looked at Rory, and as if she'd felt his eyes on her, she looked back at him with an encouraging smile. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Sure."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! I just wanted to say a massive thank-you to those who have taken the time to give this story a read, and another massive thank-you to those who have favourited and followed it. It really does mean a lot to know there are people who are enjoying what I'm writing and wanting to know what happens. Hope you all keep reading and that you enjoy this latest chapter :D xx**

* * *

_Three Weeks Later_

_Mid-July 2019 _

**Rory**

The end of June came and went, the start of the summer holidays quickly beginning with the return of Rory's younger siblings and cousins from Hogwarts. The weekend of their return at the start of July had been spent in a flurry of excitement, books, and misplaced family members and friends as Rory's store had had it's official opening after months of saving, redecorating and planning.

With Pine Tales officially up and running, Rory had found herself incredibly busy in the last two weeks as customers came and went to garner at her vast collection of wizarding and muggle literature. Even with the additional, though not necessarily willing, assistance from her younger cousins and siblings, Rory still found herself collapsing at the end of each day on her bed in a fit of sore, but happy exhaustion.

The opening of the newest bookstore in Diagon Alley, however, was not the hot topic of gossip in the social circles of the wizarding world. No, the emergence of the latest 'it' couple had taken up the limelight for the greater part of the last fortnight and a half. She could still clearly see the look of horror on Teddy's face when he'd visited her at the store yesterday, with tales regaling the surprisingly gossipy nature of his co-workers.

_"Aurors! They're bloody Aurors! Do they not have anything better to do than to discuss the finer details of my love life – however fake or real it may be?!"_

His voice had been so incredulously hysteric that Rory had needed several minutes to recover from her fit of giggles before she

could provide him with any kind of advice.

He hadn't really appreciated her laughter, and was thus unwilling to listen to what she had to say. He'd left in rather the huff back to work.

Shaking her head at the memory, Rory reorganised the shelving on the ground floor of the store now that there was a lull in the crowds.

"Hey Ro, where do you want the latest – _Philo… Philomena? _Yeah, Philomena Stio - naw fuck how do you pronounce her last name – _Stio… Stio – _You know what, I give up!" Huffing, Tristan Bell, one of Rory's cousin's who'd been pimped out to work for her by her Uncle Matt, stepped into her line of view.

"Where do you want these?" He gestured at the pile of books he carried in his arms.

"The Philomena Stiobhard books?" She asked innocently, and his face darkened at her flawless pronunciation.

"Nobody likes a show-off, Aurora." Tristan grumbled, his lips pouting. She laughed, and patted his cheek before pointing over his shoulder at the Teen Fiction section. "It should all be _alphabetical_." She emphasised before clarifying, "By the author's last name."

"I'm still offended that you didn't go for my suggestion," Following her direction, Tristan wandered over to one of the more popular sections of the store and began shelving the books he'd grabbed from the stock room.

"Yeah?" Smirking in memory, Rory placed the last book from her pile onto the shelf and waltzed over to drop onto the bean bag that was at Tristan's feet.

"Yeah, I really think the 'Like-a-betical' thing would have taken off."

"Nobody would have understood the system though,"

"Ah they would have if they had any taste in books." He stated emotively. "Because it would become pretty clear, pretty quick what your system was if all the good books were at the front, and the shit ones were at the back."

"Yeah but that would only be from our opinion of the books."

"You say that like any other opinion counts," Tristan winked down at her and she slapped his leg playfully.

"Just make sure those books go in the right place, in the right order." Rolling to the side and off of the bean bag, Rory pushed herself to her feet.

"Graceful,"

"It's a trait I pride myself for, truly." She laid a hand over her heart, and he chuckled. "Once you're finished here you can go."

"Really?" He tried to hide the excitement in voice, not wanting to sound too desperate but failed.

"Really, I know this isn't what you guys had in mind for your summer break. But I do appreciate the extra help, I honestly didn't think I'd be so busy so early on."

"Why not?" He asked her, almost as if he was chastising her. "You've got a great collection here, Ro, plus the cool little seating area you've got upstairs. This may be a bookstore, but it's not stuffy like some of the older places in Diagon Alley, it's actually a nice place to hang-out in." Tristan placed his last book on the shelf and rubbed his hands against his shorts.

"Thanks Trist," He shrugged and she gave him a quick hug before taking his work apron off his hands.

"You know, it's not the hardship you think it is." Walking backwards towards the storeroom, he grinned at her.

"What isn't?"

"Working for you, it's not a hardship. You actually make it kind of fun."

"Yeah?" Tristan nodded, and though she felt a swell of affection for the younger boy at his sweet words, Rory rolled her eyes.

"You think you could remind your brother of that the next time he tries to skip a shift?"

"I'll try, but you know Damian does-"

"Whatever Damian wants." She finished for him and he grinned charmingly before disappearing into the backroom to grab his things.

Crossing over to the counter, Rory slipped Tristan's apron into one of the drawers and grabbed the broom that was leaning against the wheelie-chair. Before heading up the staircase to tidy up the mess a group of teenagers had made that morning, she switched the sign around on the door to let any potential customers know that the store was shut for a brief lunchbreak.

* * *

**Teddy**

Hurrying out of the Auror Department the second his lunch break had begun, Teddy felt the frown that had been permanently marring his features ever since Victoire had announced their 'relationship', slip away and the tension in his shoulders eased.

Apparating from the Ministry, he found himself standing outside the newly familiar store, the welcoming sign hanging just above his head as he paid little mind to the closed sign and opened the door. The usual chime of the bell rang out and he glanced around the lower level of the store to find it empty.

All along three of the four walls of the room were floor to ceiling bookcases, with the fourth wall, the one that the front door was

located on, was dedicated solely to large windows that let in the natural light and kept the store from adopting that stuffy, dreary appearance many bookstores tended to have. In the right hand corner, from where he stood at the door, tucked in between a window and bookcase was the cashier counter – that he knew Rory had charmed only to open to her and whoever was working with her that day. Directly across from the counter and on the opposite wall, was a hidden door that was cut into the bookcase.

Within one of the ridges was a door handle, which once pulled, opened into the staffroom that also doubled as the stock room.

Here and there throughout the lower level were pop-up book cases that formed long aisles, and shelving that held little knick-knacks and notebooks, while on the floor at every spare space were circles of bean bags for customers to use when the desire to read their recent purchases was too strong to ignore.

Smiling at the sight, Teddy crossed the floor and climbed the black spiral staircase that led to the Muggle Level of the store and where he could hear Rory working away – the loud decibel of her music giving away her hiding place. Similar to the floor below, the layout of the second level was much the same, the only difference being that the floor space underneath the window-covered wall was occupied by bean bags and side tables. A coffee machine took up a little extra space, and a shelving of coffee mugs hung from the ceiling by two thin metal chains.

Dancing to the music that was blasting from the speakers, while she supposedly brushed the floor, Rory was oblivious to his entrance. Teddy leaned against the rail of the staircase and crossed his arms lightly in front of his chest. Watching her, caught in her own little world, he felt that dark cloud that had been chasing him all day dissipate as it so often did in her presence.

Spinning around the broom, Rory dipped it as she sang along to the song that was playing, when she looked up momentarily her eyes flicked back down to the floor before she did a double-take and her hold on the broomstick loosened as it fell from her grasp.

"Holy shit," Laughing nervously, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Heeeeyyyy,"

"Hey," Teddy laughed and pushed off the banister to walk towards her. "Great duet,"

"Thank-you," She bowed despite the blush that was ignited on her cheeks. "It's all about having the right partner,"

"I can tell," He smiled at her cheekily, and she poked her tongue out at him. "Where's Tristan, I thought he was helping you out today?"

"He was, but I sent him home. We were a little quieter today, and our bigger rushes are in the morning to lunch periods so he wasn't really needed for this afternoon." Rory explained with a shrug of her shoulders, and she picked up the broom that she'd dropped. "Besides, I'm sure there are others things he'd rather be doing with his day than shelving books in an empty store."

"I don't know, if I was Tristan, I couldn't think of anything cooler than getting to spend some time with my awesome older cousin." Teddy bumped her elbow with his as he followed her to the bean bags.

"Sure," Uncertain whether he was being sarcastic or not, Rory laughed off what he had intended to be a sly compliment. She laid the broom against the wall, and dropped with a dramatic sigh onto the nearest bean bag. "Ooh, it's good to sit for a bit."

"Yeah?"

"Hmm," She nodded, her eyes shut blissfully.

Teddy sat down as gracefully as he could with his long legs, on one of the bean bags that were closest to Rory's and he grunted at the drop. There was a soft giggle, and he looked over to find that Rory was watching him from the corner of her eyes. It was his turn to poke his tongue out at her, though it only made her giggle harder.

"I got us some sandwiches from the cafeteria at the Ministry, not very flash, but yeah." He pulled the brown paper bags out of his work brief case and handed one over to her, "I think this is the one without butter on the bread,"

She smiled at the fact that he'd remembered another one of her little quirks, and he inwardly fist-bumped at his victory.

"Thanks,"

Sitting in comfortable, companionable silence as they ate their lunch, the only sound other than their chewing were the voices of the various Wizard and Witch artists who played over the radio. When both of them had eaten their full, Teddy rummaged around in his briefcase for one of the other packages aside from their food that he'd brought with him that day.

"Here," Holding out the poorly wrapped object, Teddy blushed when he caught her unimpressed gaze. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but I just couldn't not get you something for your birthday – especially because you'd threatened my life and limb if I got you anything for your opening."

"Which you did,"

"Flowers don't really count, Rora."

"Still Teddy, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Just take it would you," He gently shook the present, and though she tried to uphold her unimpressed charade he could see the curiosity and excitement in her eyes. With only slight reluctance, Rory took the gift from his hands and began to unwrap it.

Once the messily wrapped and Sellotaped blue and brown wrapping had been removed, the maroon case underneath was revealed and Rory gasped as she recognised the store. Tips of pink tinged the tips of Teddy's hair, and he cleared his throat as she removed the top from the case.

"Oh Teddy," Her voice was soft, "It's beautiful."

"You like it?" Nervously, he met her gaze.

"Like it? I love it, thank-you Teddy!" Pushing herself up, Rory flung her arms around Teddy and hugged him tight in gratitude. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back, the scent of her perfume and shampoo surrounding him as she eventually pulled away. "Could you help me put it on?"

Taking the silver necklace from the box, he undid the clasp and slipped it around her neck as she lifted the strands of her short hair up so he didn't get any of it caught. She turned back around once it was done up and fiddled with the spelled star charm that glimmered against her collarbone.

"Happy birthday Rora,"

"Thanks, Teddy." She beamed at him before sitting back down in her bean bag, her fingers still spinning the star around them.

"You coming tonight? To my parents?"

"Of course," He told her, "Wouldn't miss it."

"Mum said she's invited the Weasley's," Rory paused, cringing when Teddy's face visibly paled and he groaned. "I'm sorry, I tried to tell her that I just wanted something small, just the family and you and Vic, but then she invited Vic's family and Brea complained because she wanted to invite James and Freddie so she didn't get bored – because you know, my party has to be entertaining for the brat. Anyway, Mum felt like she couldn't invite the Potters and Freddie's family and not invite the entire Weasley family or your grandmother, so it kind of snowballed."

"It's alright, Rora, Vic and I were going to have to face the consequences eventually. We were lucky they didn't make a scene at the opening when we rocked up together,"

"Nana Molly would have murdered them if they had."

"See I'm actually surprised that she wasn't the one who'd made a scene, you know what she's been like whenever there's a mention of a significant other in any of our lives."

"Ah, speak for yourselves." Rory snorted, "I'm the Queen of Single-town, 'member?"

"You know what I mean,"

"Yeah I do, but at least she's never tried to set you up at a funeral – with the deceased's grandson." Rory drily reminded him, and he choked on the laughter that erupted from him at the memory.

"Jean's just trying to-"

"I know she's only trying to help, but you know you've reached a whole new low when your grandmother tries pimping you out at her friend's funeral." Her deadpan expression refreshed Teddy's laughter, and soon the two of them were hunched over, clutching their sides as tears streamed down their faces.

* * *

**Rory**

The backyard of the Pine household was decorated simply for the occasion, something that Rory had expressly requested. No fanfare, no over the top celebrations, and no dramatics – this was after all, only her nineteenth.

As she walked down the stairs from her bedroom at her parent's place, where some of her things were still kept, Rory smiled at the sound of her family who were congregating in the living room.

It may have only been another birthday, not a monumental year like a coming of age or a turn of the decade, but Rory knew that her family was using her birthday as an excuse to throw a party in celebration of Pine Tales' opening – something she'd vehemently refused, only allowing the drinks they'd had after the Grand Opening – which had, apparently, not assuaged their need to celebrate the occasion.

She walked into the crowded living room and leaned against the doorframe with a serene smile on her lips as she watched the many faces that made up her family.

On one side, her four grandparents – Penelope and David Pine, Jean and Randall Bell – were seated on the couches discussing the restaurant the Pine's owned. Standing behind the oldest generation were her Aunties Katie Wood (her mother's sister), Ruby Bell (who was married to her mother's brother), and Padma Patil-Pine (who was married to her father's older brother), chatting animatedly about the latest hijinks their youngest children had gotten into.

On the other side of the room, her many Uncles were clustered together angrily and loudly debating the outcome of the last Quidditch season. On the edge of the group, shaking his head at whatever his youngest brother had just said, Rory's father – Ian – caught her eye with a wink. She grinned back at him, pulling a contorted expression to which he snickered and pulled one back.

Her mother, Sadie, and the last of her Aunt's – Renee (wife of her father's twin brother) – were in the middle of the room, attempting to get Renee's youngest, Eli, to change out of his stain covered shirt and put on a nice, buttoned up one.

Surrounded by the chaos that was her extended family, Rory found the stress of the store and of the mess her two best friends had gotten themselves into melting away, and she peeled herself away from the doorframe to enter the room – only to get tackled to the ground by her younger sister and brother.

"Merlin!" She laughed as her head thumped against the carpet, Brea and Jared's bodies crushing the air out of her lungs as they piled atop of her.

"Dog pile!" One of her other cousins yelled, and soon ten other bodies were leaping on top of hers, slowly squishing the life out of her. She was sure that her face was turning a hundred different colours, but rather than be concerned by the rainbow that was her face, the adults only laughed and took photos.

"Some… bloody… help… you… lot… are." She gasped out while attempting to hit Damian's butt away from her face - she didn't trust his behind being that close to her nose and him not to take full use of the opportunity. "I… think… my… lung… has… collapsed – GET OFF ME YOU HEFFALUMPS!"

Smacking all those she could reach, Rory eventually got her way when Nadine and the oldest of the Wood children, Henry, reluctantly detangled themselves from the top of the pile. Once she was no longer covered in relatives, Rory hauled herself off the floor and straightened the hem of the dress she was wearing.

"Bunch of fucking lunatics, the lot of you."

"Mwah!" Lydia blew her a kiss, Hannah Bell and Francesca Wood (the youngest of their respective siblings) giggled and mimicked the older girl. Pretending to catch the kisses, Rory threw them to the ground and stomped on them before winking at the girls and going to hug her grandparents hello.

"Happy birthday dear," Jean Bell kissed her granddaughter's cheek and patted the other when she pulled away from their hug.

"Thanks Nana J," Turning from one grandmother to the next, Rory hugged Penelope in greeting before doing the same to her grandfathers.

"How's the store going?" David Pine asked as he clapped Rory on the shoulder, pulling her to sit down on the arm of the couch he was on.

"It's going good, been fairly busier than I thought we would – hopefully it keeps like that and the crowds don't die down too dramatically."

"They won't, honey." Penelope reassured her, "Your cousins been helping you like they promised they would?"

"For the most part, you know when they REMEMBER TO TURN UP!" She responded, throwing a glare over in Damian's direction. Hearing her raised voice, the dark-haired boy looked over his shoulder from his conversation with her brother and his, and winked cheekily at her. "Bloody prick."

"You were never going to get Damian into that store, Aurora." Randall shook his head, and she sighed.

"I know I mean Damian does-"

"Whatever Damian wants." The four grandparents echoed, finishing her sentence and she grinned.

"Yeah."

* * *

**Victoire**

The past two weeks had been an interesting whirlwind for Victoire.

For, from the moment Teddy had agreed to be her beard, it had been all go – staged outings to get the media spin-balling, dinner with her family, and heartfelt apologies to appease the betrayal Molly and Fleur felt they had been done. In between all of which she was still having to train from dawn to dusk.

It was enough to make her think that maybe she'd have been better off letting the world think she was a floozy.

Sighing at her reflection, the confliction at lying to her family showing in her eyes, Vic picked her wand and her gift for Rory up and apparated from her apartment. Landing on the front lawn of the modest two-storey home she'd spent many a holiday at, Victoire prepared herself for the show she and Teddy were about to perform.

"Icky-Vicky!" Rory's cheer greeted her ears as she walked around the house to the back yard, and she chuckled whilst shaking her head at the nickname she could never escape.

"Rory-Bory!" She cheered back and wrapped the shorter girl into a hug, "Happy birthday, love."

"Thanks honey," Rory stepped back from their embrace and looked up at her with an apologetic look.

"It's alright," Vic whispered, and covered her lips with an enthusiastic grin. "Here, this is for you."

"I thought I told you lot no presents this year; Does nobody listen to me?"

"No," Damian, Jared, and Eli answered as they walked past the two, and Rory flipped them off.

"Bastards,"

"Rude!" Eli - Easton's younger brother and recent Hogwarts' graduate - gasped offended.

"Come on, the cool kids are over here." Grabbing Vic by the hand, Rory led them away from her younger relatives and towards where the older 'kids' were congregating. It was as they neared the group that Rory suddenly slowed and stopped altogether, her gaze locked on a figure with long dark wavy hair and her back to them both. Confused, Vic glanced between the girl and Rory and was about to ask what was wrong when the brunette faced her with a new apologetic expression.

"Shit, so, ah I've just realised that I may have – slightly – forgotten to mention that, well all of my family are here tonight, you know,"

"Yeah?" Vic's face scrunched up not getting what the girl was trying to say.

"My _whole _family, my cousins – _Pine _cousins." Rory stressed, her eyes pleading as she waited, or rather hoped for Vic to catch on. Still a little puzzled, Vic glanced away from Rory and back over to the dark-haired girl, and as Rory's words spun around in her head it slowly started to click.

Well, that and the dark-haired girl had turned, and the face she'd spent the entire last summer and better half of the last year dreaming about was suddenly there before her in reality.

"Oh," Her mouth went dry, and the noise of the backyard faded away to nothing as her vision tunnelled on the girl who'd just noticed her presence as well.

Shock written clear across the other's features, the two stood still taking in one another.

Lydia raised her hand and waved, her lips pulled in a tight, but polite smile, and somewhat dumbly, Victoire returned it before spinning away and closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think – shit, I didn't even remember until she got here and – god, Vic I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." Sighing, Vic ran a hand through her hair shakily and opened her eyes. "It's not your fault, Rory – you should be allowed to invite your cousin to your birthday. This, this really isn't your fault, it's mine. If I wasn't such a coward this wouldn't be a problem," She laughed derisively at herself, "Some Gryffindor I turned out to be."

"You know; you never did tell me what happened between the two of you." Rory said softly, causing Vic to steal a glance at Lydia.

"I wouldn't know how," She muttered.

Watching from where she stood, separated from the girl by several metres of family, lawn and food, Victoire saw images of that night a year ago play out before her eyes; and suddenly Lydia wasn't laughing with Teddy and a guy she thought she recognised as Easton, but instead was smiling softly to her, the two of them hidden from their families at the Burrow in the orchard. Their hair was mixed together, shades of strawberry blonde mingling with black as Lydia hovered over her – she blinked and she was back in Rory's back yard, the whispers of that night still fluttering like nerves around her.

"That special huh?" Rory asked, a gentle expression in her eyes as she caught the far-off gaze that had taken over Vic. Blushing, Victoire looked down at the ground and thinned her lips. "Why didn't you guys see each other afterwards?"

"I… I never wrote her back."

"Vic," She didn't need to look at Rory to see she was disappointed, her tone of voice was evidence enough. "Why?"

"I'm an idiot? I don't know, it was just – it was so real, and unlike the times I hooked up at Hogwarts, I actually felt something for her and it scared me. It still scares me," Vic stole another glance at Lydia. "God she's beautiful."

"If you just explained it to her-"

"And tell her what? That I'm sorry I didn't respond to her letters, I was a dick, but hey if you want to hook up again I'm keen? She's not the girl for that, Rory – your cousin deserves better than that, she deserves someone who isn't afraid to show her off and bring her home, and be open about the fact she's… _gay_."

"You could be that someone,"

"But I'm not, not yet."

"Vic," Rory gripped her hand, and Vic looked down at her with a sad smile. A look passed between them before Vic sniffed, squeezed her hand and stepped away.

"Enough about me, tonight is about _you_." A fake grin cracked her face in half and though it's convinced many of her family in the past, it's never tricked Rory and doesn't tonight.

"Honey-"

"Not tonight, Ro, I'm – not tonight."

"Alright,"

"Come on, we need a drink."

* * *

**Rory**

Slightly concerned by the amount of alcohol her best friend was currently inhaling, Rory deftly stole the bottle of firewhisky that Vic had been using for shots and offloaded it onto the unsuspecting hands of her grandfather as he passed the duo. Randall shot the girl a startled look before he glanced at Vic and his expression cleared. After shooting her a wink, the old man slunk off with the bottle in hand and Victoire shooting daggers at his back.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because I'm not going to sit here and watch you drink yourself to a stupor."

"You're no fun," Vic pouted petulantly before flopping backwards on the grass they were sitting on.

"Sorry for being concerned about the well-being of your liver." Rory rolled her eyes, "I just don't see how getting drunk is going

to solve your problems."

"It's not, but it will help me forget about them."

"And only land you with more when you strip down to your underwear and run around screaming your love for cockroach clusters." The two shared a look, Vic flushing at the reminder of the first time she'd gotten absolutely hammered.

"You promised to never bring that up again,"

"No, Teddy promised – I just sat there smiling silently." The brunette grinned innocently. "My point though, Vicky, is that doing this - drinking to oblivion; it's not going to change anything. It's not going to solve the awkward tension between you and Lydia, it's not going to erase the questions about you and Teddy, and it's definitely not going to keep the watchful gaze of Molly and

Fleur off of you."

Both girls turned to look where the aforementioned women were standing together watching them.

"But it's the easiest thing I know to do,"

"Vic," Rory shot her a stern look.

"I know," The strawberry blonde heaved a sigh and sat up.

"Know what?" Lydia asked as she appeared behind them, and Vic's entire body tensed at the sound of her voice.

"That firewhisky and family gatherings are never a good combination." Rory answered quickly with a dry smirk.

"God, don't I know that." Lydia grumbled as she dropped down on her cousin's other side. "Christmas 2016,"

The Pine cousins shivered violently at the date, and Vic glanced at the two curiously.

"What happened in Christmas 2016?"

"Easton, Nadine and Lydia broke into Grandma and Gramps' liquor cabinet whilst the adults were getting drunk on eggnog and decided to experiment with the various assortments of alcohol that was inside it."

"Why?"

"Because we were idiots."

"Were?" Rory teased.

Lydia punched her on the arm without restraint, and Rory tried not to flinch too violently in reaction.

"Anyway, after getting absolutely drunk off our faces – we thought it best to announce what we'd done by singing the Welsh National Anthem."

"Do you know the Welsh National Anthem?" Vic questioned feeling a little braver to face Lydia properly now that the story-telling was breaking the ice between them. Lydia and Rory snorted in response to the question.

"Nade and I didn't, but Easton surprised everyone by belting out every verse word for word."

"Well, he was in Ravenclaw." Rory reminded them.

"That doesn't mean anything," Lydia scoffed.

"No?"

"Well yeah, I mean you're in Ravenclaw and you don't know the Welsh Anthem."

"What makes you so sure that I don't?"

"Do you?"

"Well no,"

"There you go," She said pointedly, "The reason East knows every anthem in existence, has nothing to do with his being a Ravenclaw – which I still believe is a fucking fluke – but everything to do with his own absurd eccentricity."

"Yeah, I can't argue with you on that." The two cousins shared a derisive laugh.

Slightly befuddled at the inside joke about their cousin, Vic tipped her head to the side in question.

"Why do you reckon it's a fluke that Easton was a 'Claw?"

"Because after all the times he was dropped by Uncle Clarke, I'd be surprised if the poor kid had any brain cells left. Honestly,

it's a miracle he recalls his own name at times." The darker haired of the cousins elbowed the other with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah, even that is a bit hit or miss." Rory tipped her hand side to side, earning a laugh from the other two.

"Uncle Clarke really did a number on him with his butterfingers."

"Hey! Dad promised me he only dropped me twice," The girls looked up to find Easton glaring down at his cousins.

"Yeah well, Aunty Renee told me that after the twelfth time your Dad dropped you, they just gave up counting." Lydia countered, an eyebrow raised and Easton glowered, dropping down beside her. "And who would you really trust to be truthful in their account?"

"My mother," the boy grumbled. Lydia smirked proudly at her minor victory before she threw an arm around her older-by-a-year

cousin and pulled him against her for a side-hug.

"Where's Teddy?" Rory asked, interrupting the cousin bonding as she looked around them for the metamorphagus.

"He got cornered by Mr Potter, something about not telling him something – I don't know, I was distracted by the bottle Randall was carrying." Easton explained while trying to extract himself from Lydia's hold and missing the smirk Vic and Rory shared.

* * *

**Teddy **

Teddy watched as Easton trailed off after Rory's grandfather and the Firewhisky the old man was carrying, all the while wishing he could join him if only to avoid the conversation he knew he was about to have with his godfather.

"Ted,"

"Uncle Harry,"

The two greeted the other, Teddy squirming uncomfortably on his feet as they did.

"So, how've you been?"

Harry took a sip from the drink he was carrying with a quirked brow.

"Been a bit busy at work recently, huh?" He tried again, though still didn't receive a response from the man. "I was talking to Easton just before about the latest news at Gringotts-"

"Ted,"

"Right." He cleared his throat and clapped his hands together awkwardly.

"I was surprised to hear from Gin about you and Victoire,"

"You and me both,"

"Sorry?"

"Ah – just that it really came out of nowhere," Teddy plastered a thick smile on his lips and chuckled nervously.

"I'd say," Harry scoffed, "Because the last I knew, you were in love with her best friend."

"I-" He didn't know what to say.

"What're you playing at here, Teddy? What do you think you're getting at dating Vicky if you're in love with Rory? Because if you're planning to make the girl notice you, hurting her best friend isn't going to win her over."

"This isn't – that's not… I wouldn't hurt Vic, Uncle Harry, ever."

"So what're you doing?"

Teddy stood silent for a moment, his godfather's question ringing in his head as he fought for the best way to answer that wouldn't make him look like the biggest douche in history.

"Honestly, I don't really know." He ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "Just, this thing with Vic and I, it's not what it seems."

"How so?" Teddy looked over to where Easton had now joined Lydia, Rory and Vic on the grass behind the drinks' table. "Ted?"

"Promise not to tell anyone what I'm about to say?" He tore his gaze from the laughing foursome to where Harry stood with a confused expression on his face. When his godfather noticed how serious he was, Harry nodded and Teddy let out a low breath.

"Vic and I aren't really dating, we're faking it."

"You're – You're not?"

"No."

"Why?"

"…" Teddy paused, knowing that the real reason for their fake relationship wasn't his to share. "Vic wanted to get the media, Fleur and Nana Molly off her back about who she was dating – the only way she knew how was if she gave them an answer. Even if it wasn't true,"

For the longest time, Harry didn't say anything, only stood there drinking out of the beer in his hand as he processed what Teddy had said.

"So… you're not dating Vic? You're faking it?"

Teddy felt a slight weight lift from his shoulders at Harry's, though confused, understanding.

"Yes,"

"And Rory knows about it?"

"Yeah – knows and supports it." Teddy scoffed, the annoyance he felt at the predicament Vic had gotten them into paling in comparison to the dejection he felt from Rory's complete acceptance and support of him being with her best friend – even if it wasn't real.

"Ted-"

"If I didn't think she felt the same way before, I really don't now."

Harry watched as his godson's face fell, his shoulders drooping with despondency and he tore his gaze over to where the birthday girl was laughing hysterically. Even at his age and after all his years, the complicated mess that was youthful hormones continued to confuse the man. But before he could attempt to string a clichéd sentence of support that he'd read from one of the parenting books he'd bought over the years on the sly, the chattering of the party was over-shouted by Rory's mother and brother as they entered with a cake.

The multi-tiered cake was shaped in the design of an open book, and Teddy's lips pulled in a small smile when he caught the awed expression that took over Rory's face. Harry watched with a tired sigh as he, trance-like, drifted away from him and over to the girls and Easton as they crowded around the cake Sadie and Jared were supporting.

Out of habit, Teddy slipped an arm around Vic as they watched their best friend blow out her candles. Both lost to their own thoughts and oblivious to the other's inner turmoil, the two were startled to awareness when the book-shaped cake exploded as the final candle was extinguished.

"Holy shit," Teddy scoffed his hand covering his mouth in disbelieving laughter, flecks of cake spattering his face. Beside him, Vic cringed as an unpleasant chunk got wedge up her nose. Opposite them, Rory wiped the icing from her eyes and licked away the food that was smeared to her lips.

"BREA!" Sadie screamed as she dropped her end of the tray that held the decimated cake and Jared struggled to save what

remained after being left with the full brunt of it's weight.

Mischievous laughter could be heard from the middle of the crowd that had formed around Rory, and like the Red Sea the group parted to reveal three figures using each other for support as they turned red in hysterics. Following the trio's reveal, multiple shouts of 'James!' and 'Freddie!' could be heard from the Weasley's and Potter's.

Teddy side-stepped the debris that decorated the grass in a two-metre radius around them. Grinning down at her, he swiped a finger down Rory's cake coated cheek and popped it into his mouth.

"You may look ridiculous," She swatted him, only making his grin broader. "But you taste delicious." He winked and she snorted with a roll of her eyes.

"You're a dork," There was a twinkle to her eyes, one that he knew only meant trouble for him, but before he could react she grabbed a piece of cake from the tray her brother was still holding and smeared it across his face.

* * *

**Rory**

"I'm still finding pieces of cake in my hair," Rory called out across the ground floor of her store, and there was a snort from behind a bookcase in response. "Merlin, I've had _four_showers…"

"It was a big cake," Lydia reminded her, appearing from the aisle with a dry smirk. "Gotta give the kids some credit,"

Begrudgingly, Rory nodded but the weary look on her face quickly gave way to a bright smile and laugh.

"Yeah I guess. Seriously though, when those three put their heads together what they come up with is truly astounding."

Lydia nodded slowly in agreement before pausing with a slight grimace.

"Is it weird that I feel a little sorry for Filch?"

"What?" Rory dropped the strands of hair she'd been surveying for crumbs to look at her cousin incredulously.

"Well, the usual times they ever put their heads together is for pranks, and the majority of their time together is spent at Hogwarts, where their biggest target is Filch, so…"

"Huh,"

"I mean the old guy's a dick at the best of times, but he gets tormented on a daily basis by arrogant wand-waving children, so can you really blame him for his sour personality?"

"True," Rory commented as she leaned forward behind the counter and cupped her chin with her hand, thinking. "But is it his sour personality that causes the children to mock him, or the mocking that creates the sour personality that then leads to the

pranking?"

"Ooh! Like a downward spiral – he's sour, the kids target him, he's gets sourer, resulting in more pranks."

"Or, _or_– He started off a happy, excited caretaker ready to do his job, but after years of picking up after thankless, ungrateful brats that fire within him was snuffed out."

"Aw, poor Filch." Lydia sniffed, her lips pouting at the thought.

It was at that remark that the door to Pine Tales' opened and a sceptical over-hearer regarded the two worriedly.

"I'm sorry, did you just say – _poor Filch_, Lydia?" Teddy blinked in disbelief and the dark-haired girl shrugged.

"We were just speculating the cause of Filch's undesirable personality," Rory explained as she came around the counter to greet

the young man hello. "Which do you think is more likely, Ted – a spiral of sourness and pranks, or years of thankless work?"

"Ah?" He glanced between them, and Rory chuckled at his confused expression.

"You're right, what if there's a third option?"

"Ooh! Yes, like jealousy at not being able to pull pranks at the same level as those pulled on him." Near excitedly, Lydia clapped

her hands earnestly at the idea. Rory clicked her fingers liking the suggestion, but before the two could escalate any further with their back and forth, Teddy cleared his throat.

"Are you ready to go, Rora?"

"To go? Where?" Curiously, Lydia regarded the two, her brow quirking when Teddy flushed a little under her gaze.

"We're heading to Vic's for dinner," Rory answered, "Do you – Do you want to come?"

An awkward moment passed between the three of them as each were aware of what had transpired between the two girls the previous summer, but reluctant to speak it aloud in case of crossing any invisible lines.

"Would she mind if I… _intrude_?"

Rory shared a look with Teddy and chewed on her lip in thought, before smiling wide and shaking her head.

"Of course not, besides the more the merrier, right?"

"Right." Teddy nodded hurriedly when she shot him a look. "You should come, Lydia."

* * *

**Rory**

Rory would admit, that yes, initially the dinner had been awkward and Vic had been a little overwhelmed at the unexpected presence of her once hook-up. But after the awkward pleasantries and stilted small talk had passed, they'd all relaxed and the two girls who'd been avoiding eye contact since the beginning of the evening were soon laughing with their heads bowed together.

The bottles of elder-wine hadn't hurt the adjustment either.

Sitting now on the two-seater couch with her legs folded on the cushion in front of her, and Teddy leaning against them for support, Rory threw her head back in laughter at the long-winded joke Vic had just shared.

Lying on the floor, with her hands waving above her head theatrically, Vic's cheeks were red from the amount of laughing she'd done that night. Teddy's head tipped back on her legs and his eyes met hers, a soft smile on his lips as she looked down at him.

"Hey," He whispered.

"Hey," She murmured back, patting him lightly on the face.

Neither of them noticed the questioning look that was coming from Lydia.

A gaze that narrowed with suspicion as the image of what it had seen the night prior at Rory's party between the two resurfaced. Their interaction after the exploding cake incident, and how the metamorphagus had watched her cousin with a look that should have been reserved for his girlfriend, caused Lydia to believe that there was something a little fishy going on between the other three in the room.

The fact that Victoire was hardly bothered by the blatant flirting that was going down between her best friend and supposed boyfriend, added only another mark on the list of things Lydia found to not be adding up.

By the end of the night, after watching the interactions between the trio and the way Teddy seemed to favour the side of the girl who wasn't his girlfriend, Lydia swore she was going to get to the end of what was going on.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rory**

Wheeling around the floor of her store, Rory watched as Lydia mildly annoyed her older sister by tapping her foot in such way that it inched closer and closer to stepping on Nadine's toes with every tap. She could see the desire Nadine had to snap at her sister burning in her honey-coloured eyes, her jaw clenching every now and then when Lydia got just a little too close to her.

Spinning around in the wheelie-chair, Rory smirked quietly to herself as she listened to her cousins argue without actually arguing as they spoke about their days. Well, Lydia and she spoke about their days, Nadine – who was an Unspeakable for the Ministry – only spoke in rather vague anecdotes and analogies.

Currently, Nadine was using the muggle story about the boy who had cried wolf to describe one of her co-workers. The raven-haired witch flailed her arms about dramatically as she got carried away with her tale. Lydia scoffed, and Nadine paused mid-sentence to pick a book off of the shelf she was leaning her bean bag against and flung it at her sister's face. Lydia only narrowly avoided it, and she glared at her sister before picking up the weapon and throwing it right back at her.

"Alright, enough!" Rory rolled herself forward and caught the book just as Nadine, who'd been hit by her sister's throw, aimed for Lydia's nose. Once the book was safely in her arms, she scooted back to safety and checked for any signs of damage to the novel. "You may proceed, just please leave my stock out of it."

Her cousins glanced at her, rolling their eyes at the way she stroked the spine of the book, before returning to their bickering. Rory poked her tongue out at them once their heads were turned, not nearly stupid nor brave enough to do so to their faces. Upon her assessment that the book had managed to survive its ordeal without a scratch, she carefully settled it on the side table next to her and rolled her eyes at the direction in which the argument was now heading.

"I didn't take your bloody bra, you daft bint! The girls wouldn't fit into that grape holder of yours anyway."

"Grape Holder!? Who's the human embodiment of a muggle surfboard to call me flat-chested?!"

"Sweet Merlin, save me." Rory begged, rubbing her face tiredly before intervening. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Lydia took my bra!" Nadine shrieked, and Lydia sat up from the floor in violent protest.

"I did not!"

"You did too, I can see the straps on your shoulders."

"This is my bra, I bought it yesterday!"

"Liar!"

"Bitch,"

"Thief,"

"Psychopath."

"SHUT IT!" The girls startled at Rory's interruption, and looked at her warily. "Merlin, would you give it a rest for just a second?"

Nadine grumbled quietly but wriggled around in her seat so she was no longer facing her sister. Lydia swirled around on her butt and crossed her legs, expectantly waiting for Rory to continue.

"Thank-you," She sighed, "Nade, Lydia couldn't have taken your bra seeing how she no longer lives with you and you've put up those extra alarms the Ministry gave you, meaning she can't even get into your house without you letting her in." The eldest of the three girls in the store flushed slightly at the information, but rolled her eyes to disguise her minor embarrassment. "And Lydia, calling your sister flat-chested isn't the nicest way to go about defending yourself."

"It's not like it's a lie though,"

"Yeah, well you're not really in a position judge, are you?" Rory remarked, earning a mock-offended gasp from her cousin.

"Just because you got the good Pine genetics doesn't mean you need to rub it in," Lydia commented sourly.

"Especially considering some of us are at a biological disadvantage."

"Nobody gives a shit that you were adopted, Nade."

"I'm just saying, it's not really fair to compare." Nadine muttered airily, earning an eye roll from her younger sister.

"If it helps, you're not really missing out on much." Rory grumbled, "The bigger they are, the harder it is to find things that fit and don't make you look like a balloon."

Nadine eyed her thoughtfully, lips pursed as she took in the shirt she was currently wearing, and nodded.

"True."

"Wow, thanks so much." Rory retorted drily.

"You're welcome."

"When's Molly getting here?" Lydia asked, changing the subject as she gazed up at the clock that was hanging on the wall behind Rory's head.

"Sometime after seven she said, she had to finish something up at work before coming over."

"I haven't seen that kid in so long," Nadine exclaimed loudly, and Rory hummed in agreement.

"You and me both."

"Did she ever give you a reason as to why she couldn't make your party last week?" Lydia tipped back to her stance of lying on the floor and placed her hands under her head for support.

"Her boss wouldn't give her the evening off,"

"Isn't she training to be an Auror, though?" Rory nodded, "So wouldn't Mr Potter have let her come along with him when he was leaving work?"

"Mr Potter doesn't oversee the trainees, they're under the jurisdiction of his Deputy Head, Finchley. From what Teddy's said, the man's got an ego the size of a Hungarian Horntail and smells like one too."

They laughed at the jest, and the bell above the door chimed as a strawberry blonde head appeared in the store. Instead of the girl they'd been discussing, it was her older cousin that greeted them with an amused confused glance at their laughter.

"Sorry if I'm late,"

"All good hun, we're still waiting on Moll," Rory kissed Vic on the cheek as the girl wandered past her.

"She's not here yet?"

"No," Nadine answered as she waved hello to Vic, who dropped awkwardly and painfully to the floor. Rory chuckled softly at the grimace that covered her best friend's features.

"Alright there, Vicky?"

"Remind me again why I chose to play Quidditch professionally?"

"The fame?"

"The eye candy?"

"The chance to have a job you love?" Rory offered as her cousins did the same, and Vic scoffed.

"Hmm, oh god-!" She clutched her thigh as if it was seizing up, and she heaved a dry sob. "None of it seems worth it when every muscle in your body protests your need to breathe."

"Athletes," Lydia drawled, "Such drama Queens."

"You think so, Pine?"

"I do,"

Vic and Lydia eyed each other, their smirks softening into something else the longer their stares remained locked and Nadine glanced at Rory confused. A twist in her gut had a flicker of concern running up her spine, and she thinned her lips. Whatever Vic had told her the week prior at her party, Rory knew that there were still feelings there between the eldest Weasley and her cousin. The way they regarded each other and both seemed to have some sort of glow whilst in the other's presence was just far too telling.

Despite the love she held for her best friend, seeing the way she looked at her cousin only concerned her. She didn't want Lydia to get hurt, and getting involved with Vic while she was terrified of coming out would only end badly for the both of them.

She frowned, but the expression didn't last long as the bell chimed above the door again, and the girl they'd all been waiting for finally arrived.

"MOLLY!" Rory shrieked excitedly, leaping out of her chair with such enthusiasm it toppled over.

"Rory!" The girl jokingly mimicked. Wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug, Molly laughed as Rory began mumbling about how much she'd missed her younger friend.

"I hardly saw you all summer, I think the last time we had a proper catch-up was the morning after your graduation party."

"Merlin don't remind me of that morning," Molly grimaced as they pulled apart. "I don't think I've ever been as hung-over as I was that day."

"You and me both, cuz." Vic tipped her chin in commiseration.

"Firewhisky and family events," Lydia sighed, "They're a match made in hell."

* * *

**Victoire**

Taking up one of the back booths in the Leaky Cauldron, the five girls laughed loudly over the tale Lydia was spinning about her hellish flatmates.

"I've told you time and time again that you can come live with me again, Lyd." Nadine commented as she took a sip from her glass of Elder wine. Lydia and Rory snorted, the latter of whom attempted to cover it up with a cough when Nadine turned a hard glare on them both.

"Right, and have you accuse me of stealing your frilly, grape-holder lingerie – thanks, but no thanks." Lydia pulled a face at her sister, earning a slap to the back of the head from her.

"Ungrateful little twit."

"You're just jealous that you're not as _voluptuous_as I am." Lydia twirled her straw around her glass before taking a sip from it in what the rest of them assumed was meant to be a sexy way. They each snorted at the remark, causing Lydia to gasp in betrayal.

"How rude."

"How one person can be s-o deliriously delusional is beyond me," Smirking at her younger sister, the raven-haired witch sighed mournfully.

"Deliriously delusional, that could be your trademark Lyd," Rory commented slyly from the middle of the booth, a safe distance from the punching range of Lydia who sat on the edge.

"Shove it, Balloon-Boob."

Molly and Vic glanced curiously between the smirking Lydia, flushing Rory and snorting Nadine, but no explanation was given to them. Instead, Rory crumpled up a napkin and threw it at her cousin's head. It bounced off of Lydia's nose harmlessly.

"Immaturity aside," Rory began, "If you're really struggling that much with your flatmates, why don't you just leave?"

"I don't want to leave without a place to move to, plus because of the terms of our contract, I'd have to find someone to replace me so they could still cover the rent."

"Still,"

"No, I know. It's just a lot more hassle than it's worth." She heaved a sigh, and pushed her empty glass away from her as their food arrived at the table. "I'll wait and see how I feel once our lease comes to an end in October."

Vic thanked the waiter who set their food on the table, and her stomach grumbled appreciatively at the burger and chips she'd ordered. From the corner of her eye, she caught Rory tucking a napkin into the front of her shirt and placing another on her lap. She smirked wryly, earning a fry to the face that she caught in her mouth. Rory rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched upwards with amusement.

"Show-off,"

"Talent like mine deserves to be flaunted, Ro."

"Humble,"

"I know." She winked at the brunette, getting an unattractive snort in response.

"Classy cuz,"

"It's a gift," Retorting to the dry look Nadine was giving her, Rory smacked her lips together obnoxiously.

"Much like your style," Speaking around the food in her mouth, Lydia pointed a finger at the napkins Rory was currently wearing. "I didn't know serviette couture was in."

"It's alright love, I won't hold it against you." Rory hummed patronisingly, "We can't all be fashion icons."

"Praise Merlin for that," Molly muttered under her breath, causing the table to laugh and for Vic to regard her cousin quietly.

The auburn-haired girl had been rather withdrawn that evening, not speaking as often or joining in as frequently to the conversation as she normally did when around people she got along with. Molly may have been the quieter of the two of them, but she was by no means shy or ever without anything to say. In fact, despite her more reserved nature, she was the most outspoken out of the elder Weasley grandchildren. It was for this reason that Vic found Molly's current state of smiling demurely and laughing softly at what the rest of them had to say, just a little more than concerning, and she made a mental note to take the girl aside at some point to ask her what was wrong.

Sitting up a little more proudly, Rory readjusted her bib-like napkin and tucked into her food. Within moments of taking a bite of her burger, she had to change her bib as half of the sauce within her bite had fallen from her mouth and down her front. Rory sighed, cleaned herself up and picked up a fork and knife, knowing that it was the only way she could avoid not ruining her clothing. All the while the rest of the table watched her knowingly.

"How was the store today, Ro?" Still smirking at her cautiously eating friend, Vic chewed absent-mindedly on a chip. Rory heaved a weary sigh, dramatically rolling her eyes as she looked away from her meal.

"Busy, chaotic, and I swear if Tristan tries reordering my stock one more time…" She drifted off, the threat hanging in the air atop of the table.

"Yeah, but you love every minute of it." Vic retorted, and Rory shrugged not denying the fact with a small smile on her lips.

"I do,"

"Did you manage to fix that bookshelf?" Lydia asked, her eyes narrowed with a concern that piqued Vic's curiosity.

"Yeah, it didn't take much more than a couple of basic charms – the difficult thing was making sure the books were all restored to their original condition."

"What happened?" Vic inquired, and Molly leaned forward from next to her to get a better look at Rory as she spoke up.

"There's a group of girls who've been coming into the store everyday for the last week, and they take up the entire Teen Fiction section giggling and gossiping behind their hands while they watch the boys working. It does my bloody head in, but I've been putting up with it because they always leave the store with several purchases so you know – business, but this morning…" Rory rubbed her forehead tiredly before pinching the bridge of her nose. "They had begun to target Damian a little more than Jay and Trist, and were following him around the store when they got too close to the ladder he was using to restock one of the higher shelves and knocked him clean off of it into the bookshelf."

"Merlin, is he ok?"

"Dame? Yeah no he's fine. A few scrapes and bruises, but he was fine – bloody pissed at the girls though, he just about tore their heads off when he told them to get the fuck out of his way. Not the best example of customer service, but hey – they could've seriously injured him." Rory pursed her lips, and clucked her tongue. From the corner of her eye, Vic caught Molly falling back against her seat and she briefly turned her head to see her cousin better and found the girl with a conflicted, heavy expression to her face. "Aside from almost sending my cousin to St. Mungos, the girls in their fawning completely destroyed my bookshelf as the ladder whilst it toppled over tore down all the shelves in it's path to the ground."

"Did they help you tidy up?"

"After Damian shouted at them, they were too embarrassed to stay in the store for any longer than another heartbeat." She shook her head at Vic's question, and Vic scoffed.

"Pathetic."

"Tell me about it, I had to close for lunch earlier than normal just so we could get everything cleared out of the way. Preteens are the worst,"

* * *

**Teddy**

Facing himself in the mirror, he straightened down his bright hair and pulled a face at his reflection. His blazer felt too tight, and it pulled at his shoulders uncomfortably; the tie he wore was closing in around his neck with every breath he sucked in, and his pants felt like they'd shrunk in the wash.

All in all, Teddy was in a state of complete misery.

The alarm on his phone, a muggle device he, Rory and Vic had learned about from Rory's Aunt Renee several summers ago, went off and he picked it up from his bedside table, slipping it into his jacket pocket. Sliding his wand from the table as well, he took one final, bitter look in the mirror and spun on the spot.

Vic was opening the door as he landed on her doorstep, a grimace mirrored on her features as she greeted him with a nod.

"Shall we get this over with?" He tipped his head back at her, and she locked her front door before looping her arm through his.

He spun on his heel and soon the two of them were spiralling through a blur of surroundings before landing unceremoniously in Wizarding London with a resounding crack.

Passing witches and wizards watched them curiously from the corner of their gazes as they wandered the streets, and Vic sidled closer to him with a vibrant smile on her lips. She looked up at him, and he glanced down at her to find her eyes empty of the energy her expression normally held. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a chaste kiss to the top of her head; there was a flash of a camera from behind them and he closed his eyes in brief annoyance before pulling away.

Her arm wrapped around his lower back, and the two of them walked up to the restaurant they'd booked for dinner that evening. He helped her out of her coat and draped it over his arm as the Maître'D showed them to their table. Teddy pulled Vic's chair out for her after placing her coat over the back of it, and took his seat down opposite her. For a moment, the two watched the other cautiously, awkwardly as if they were total strangers.

He cleared his throat.

"May I get the both of you something to drink?" Still standing at their table, the server looked at them each expectantly before sliding his gaze over to Teddy when he picked up the drinks' menu.

"Did you want something, Vic?" His gaze met the strawberry blonde's for a moment before it went over the beverages provided and their prices.

"Just a glass of water is fine, thank-you." She smiled charmingly at the server, and the man appeared slightly dazed when he turned back to Teddy. Smirking slightly, Teddy repeated Vic's order and then they were left alone at their table.

She tapped her fingers together lightly, her lips pursing as she smacked them together, and he laughed. It came out as a quick, sharp snort that tickled his nose and Vic narrowed her gaze at him quizzically.

"What?"

"This is bloody awkward, isn't it?" She smiled, her gaze dropping down to her hands as she noticed what she was doing. A laugh fell from her lips, and her shoulders shook gently in agreement to his statement.

"Just a tad." He caught her gaze as his laughter died to a soft a smile. "I wish Rory was here,"

His smile dipped at her remark and his eyes dropped from hers. There was a discomfort resting on his chest, though he couldn't quite decipher what it was or what it was from, but it grew with every moment his thoughts drifted to the third member of their tight-knit trio. Teddy hummed, his head turning as he took in the restaurant they were in.

"Can you imagine Rory in a place like this, though?" His smile brightened once more with a smirk at the image he had in his head. Vic chuckled, and he knew she was seeing the same thing he was.

"She'd be so afraid of getting food everywhere that she'd hardly touch her meal."

"She'd probably walk into the pillars they've got all over the place."

"She'd find a way to get her purse hooked under the chair, and knock the chair over while trying to unhook it."

"She'd probably trip over her own two feet while walking to the table."

"She'd talk about getting a wine, but panic when the server came over and instead ask for a lemonade."

"She'd make us stop and get ice cream on the way home." Teddy muttered softly, their playful back and forth coming to an end as they both looked wistfully down at the table cloth.

"It doesn't really feel right, huh?" Vic whispered as she traced a pattern on the cloth. "Doing stuff without her, coming to these places."

"It doesn't," He nodded, "It's like something's missing."

"I don't like it."

"Me neither."

They shared a commiserating look but were interrupted by the arrival of their waitress.

"Are we ready to order?" Teddy paused at the question, watching as Vic's expression took on a slightly panicked sheen as she hurriedly flicked through the menu. He smirked slightly before turning to face the red-haired girl who stood at their table-side.

"Actually, do you have a dessert menu we could look at? I'm in the mood for some ice cream."


	7. Chapter 7

_August_

**Rory**

Ringing up the till for the customer who stood in front of her, Rory watched from the corner of her eye as Damian dealt with a group of giggling girls. But, where he'd normally have relished in their un-abided attention, a shit-eating smirk on his lips, there was only a slight grimace and a forced smile.

He'd been off that entire morning - in fact he'd been off during every encounter she'd had with him that summer. There was something troubling him, and it troubled her to see him so out of character.

Smiling politely at the elderly man in front of her, Rory bagged his purchases for him before bidding him a good day and motioned for her brother to take her spot behind the counter.

The initial busy days that the store had seen after its' opening had, opposed to what Grandma Pine had assured her, slowed somewhat in the weeks between her birthday and the start of August, but now that the summer holidays were coming to an end, the back-to-school shopping had seen the number of customers to Pine Tales' surge as more families frequented the packed streets of Diagon Alley.

While it was comforting to see her store so full, Rory had for the first few days of the rise in numbers been a little overwhelmed as she'd – stupidly – given her cousins their reprieve from the job they'd been sold into by their parents. But after her father had visited one midday earlier that week, he'd quickly forced her brother and sister into donning the store aprons once again.

However, after Brea had offended one too many of her elderly customers with her big-mouth and prankster personality, the youngest Pine was replaced by Tristan and Damian – much to the relief of Rory and her regulars.

Ruffling the hair of Jared as he took her place at the till, Rory slinked through the crowds of the lower level and, after finding the book the giggling thirteen-year-old witches were supposedly looking for, extracted Damian from the front and dragged him into the back room. The dark-haired boy blinked slowly, still adjusting to his sudden change in settings and shook his head as he got his bearings.

"I've already had my break, Ro."

"I know," She retorted, "But Trist and Jay can handle the floor for the time being,"

She waved her wand at the lock on the door, and Damian's brow furrowed when he heard the resounding click it made.

"Am I in trouble?" He ruffled the back of his hair, "I don't remember doing anything too offensive as of late."

"You're not in trouble, Dame – sit." Rory waved her wand again, and two mugs floated down from the shelf above her whilst the kettle on the small stove began boiling. "I just want to talk."

Something in his face shifted, and his eyes flashed before he looked warily over his shoulder at the door. Damian shuffled on his feet, his hands wringing in front of him and he edged away from the table.

"It was pretty busy out there, Rory, I don't feel right about leaving-"

"Sit." Her face gave no room for argument, and he gulped. Heaving a defeated sigh, the seventeen-year-old pulled aside a chair and dropped down into it. "Good."

The tea she'd been brewing on the stove finished, and it floated over to join them on the table. Picking up the handle, she poured both of them a sizeable portion.

"Now, tell me what's been bothering you."

"Nothing's been bothering me," He shrugged with an impassive expression, but Rory had known him his entire life, he was her baby cousin and she knew when he was lying.

"It's funny, because I don't believe you."

"Rory,"

"No, Damian – something's bothering you and I want to know what." Her features softened, and she reached across the coffee table to rub his hand. "I don't like seeing you upset."

"I'm not-" Shocked, he looked up at her with wide eyes. "I'm not upset."

She quirked a brow.

"I'm not upset," Confidently, he tried to reassure her. "I'm just a little out of sorts at the moment."

"If you're nervous about NEWTS,"

"I'm not nervous about NEWTS – well, I mean yeah I am a bit, but that's not why I haven't been feeling myself. I-"

"You what?" Rory's hands slipped away from her mug when Damian's face turned a deep red, and he averted her gaze. "Damian?"

"It's just different, you know? I'm not – I've never had a crush before."

"This is about a girl?" She blinked slowly a little shocked at the revelation, but she squashed the urge to coo when he glanced up from his lap with an unimpressed glare.

"Don't." She held her hands up innocently. "I shouldn't have told you,"

"Dame-"

"You're just going to tease me; god, why didn't I keep my mouth shut – what did you put in this tea!'

"You haven't even had a sip." She reminded him, and he paused but his glare didn't soften.

"Damian, you're my cousin – of course I'm going to give you shit about you having a crush, you've done it to me whenever you've known about the guys I've liked."

"Yeah but that's different."

She shot him a dry look.

"But, just because I tease you doesn't mean it's anything to be embarrassed or upset about. Crushes are exciting, Damian."

"You're such a girl," He dry-retched.

"No shit," Rory rolled her eyes at his macho-display. "I don't get why you're so put out by liking someone."

"Because I'm me! I'm Damian Bell – I flirt with girls, I mess about with them and we have a good time, but I don't fall for anyone. Ever."

"Then what happened."

"She did."

"Who?"

"I… I can't say."

"Why not?" She questioned but he turned his head so he wasn't threatened by her hard look.

"Damian. Why not?"

"Because."

"Are you ashamed of her?"

"NO!" He stood up violently and his chair toppled backwards with the action. "She's amazing; the most brilliant witch I've ever met – why would you suggest that?"

"You're not giving me any options here, Dame."

"I'm not ashamed of her," He declared to her through gritted teeth. "Alright?"

"Alright. Then what is it?"

"I know what you say about me, I know what everyone says about me – family, strangers, my friends – I get it, I've got a reputation and people are wary whenever I show an inch of interest in one of the good girls."

"Damian…"

"You'd scare her off, tell her to be careful because I can't be trusted with anyone's heart. It doesn't matter, I get why you'd do that – I would too. She shouldn't be bothered with someone like me, I… I don't deserve someone like her."

"Don't you dare say that." Rory's voice was hushed, her face darkened with anger. "Don't you _ever _say that again."

Damian stilled, and his chin hung close to his chest.

"You may have garnered yourself a reputation over the years through your chasing of skirts and risqué hook-ups, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve someone who makes you happy. I know you, Damian, and underneath this act you've played for the last five years is the little boy I grew up with. The little boy who'd hold his brother when he had a bad dream, who carried Jared home after he broke his ankle when we were kids, and who punched Ryan Flint when he called me fat." She stood up from her seat and rounded the table so she was standing in front of him. "When I look at you, I still see that little boy with the big heart and protective nature. Don't you ever degrade yourself like that,"

She cupped his face and smiled softly at him.

"Now, who's this girl you fancy?" He chuckled when she winked, the tense atmosphere from only moments earlier disappearing and she patted his cheek lightly before stepping back.

"Molly," He ran a hand through his thick hair. "Molly Weasley II."

"You're kidding?"

He shook his head.

"How'd this happen?" Thrown by his admission, yet again, Rory blinked slowly processing the fact that her younger cousin had a crush on one of her friends. While he attempted to formulate the right words to explain, she tried to picture Damian with the year-older-than-him Weasley, surprisingly she could see it working. His chilled, edgy vibe balancing her bookish, serious persona.

"Last year at your graduation party, I got talking to her-"

"Talking? I recall seeing the full Damian Bell charm on display that night." She retorted, a vague memory of him flirting with the auburn-haired girl appearing before her eyes.

"Right, well even though the night didn't end exactly the way I thought it would-"

"Dude,"

"What? I wasn't a changed man then."

"Changed man, good god."

"Do you want to hear this or not, because I can go back to work?"

"No, no go ahead, I'll be good – I promise." She sat down and smiled sweetly, he rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying, even though the night didn't end the way I thought it would, I did have a good time chatting with her. Good enough that when I bumped into her on the Hogwarts Express, I stayed with her in her carriage talking about anything that came to mind." A small smile grew on his lips, and it made a warm ball of fuzz form in Rory's chest at the sight. "She's actually really witty, I swear I was in stitches half the time we'd hang out in between classes – she'd get this look in her eye and I just knew whatever she was about to say was trouble."

"You really like her,"

"Yeah, I do."

"So what's the problem?"

"She can't stand me."

"I'm confused."

"There was a party after exams," He began, and the way his face dropped with guilt told Rory that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "And I'd asked Molly to come along, because you know what she gets like – preferring to stay in her dorm reading-"

"Which there's nothing wrong with!" Rory protested, only slightly offended at his accusation.

"You own a bookstore, Ro, of course you wouldn't think there is."

"Rude."

"_Anyway_– I asked Molly if she'd go to this party that the Gryffindors were throwing, and after much argument and persuasion she caved and agreed. I was excited, really excited that she was going to be there-"

"Oh my god you're so cute." He quietened her with a glare and she mimed zipping her lips shut.

"The night of the party came, and I got to the Gryffindor Common Room a little after it had started when it was in full swing. I wasn't surprised to find that Molly wasn't there yet, I knew she'd procrastinate as long as she could, before showing up. So I had a few drinks and partied, by midnight I was a little sloshed and dancing when-" He paused, flushing deeply. "When I got, I guess you could say – attacked by a random chick at the party. She just appeared out of literally nowhere and wrapped herself around me. It was after I'd pried her lips from mine that I looked up to find Molly standing only feet from me. I – I can still see the look on her face, and it… It was so heartbroken that I knew then that she liked me, and like anyone would – had assumed the worst."

"Damian,"

"When I saw her face, the way her eyes lost that twinkle in them so instantaneously, it felt like the rug had been pulled out from underneath me and suddenly all the alcohol I'd drunk was fighting to come back up. I was running across that room to her before she could even blink, but she wouldn't listen to me. Refused to even look at me as she made her exit from the party – I remember following her back to the Ravenclaw common room, must've stood outside the knocker for hours trying to answer those stupid fucking riddles so I could apologise." His body drooped and he stumbled back into the wall before sliding down it to the floor. "I didn't even know what I was apologising for, or why I felt the need to apologise – but seeing her like that, Salazar I felt more guilt and regret than I've ever felt in my life."

"Dame,"

"I hurt her, Ro – I hurt her, and she hasn't spoken to me since. She couldn't even look at me for the final week we were at Hogwarts, even avoided me at the only chance I had to see her this summer by not coming to your birthday," He scoffed, "Merlin, I miss her."

He laughed a little bitterly.

"Never thought I'd say that about a girl."

"At the party, did you know you liked her?"

"I think a part of me did, but it wasn't a conscious awareness. It was only after her graduation, when I saw her doing everything she could to avoid me at King's Cross that I put all the pieces together. I used to think I was pretty slick with the ladies, but fuck I've really got no bloody clue."

"Was she your date to the party?"

"No she wasn't; I didn't ask her to be. I only wanted her at the party because she was my friend, and it was her final weekend at Hogwarts – I wanted to celebrate her graduation with her in the only way I knew how." Damian huffed, "Why?"

"I'm trying to figure out how we can fix this." He looked at her funny.

"We?"

"You can't expect me not to help my baby cousin win over his first wittle crush," He shot her the finger and she grinned. "If she wasn't your date, and you didn't know then what your feelings for her meant, as well as the fact that you weren't the one to initiate the kiss, then I can't see how you did anything wrong."

"She was crying."

"Really?"

"Not at the party, but when she ran into her house I saw her face that had been hiding behind her hair. It's what spurred me to stay so long with that annoying knocker."

"Still, technically you didn't do anything wrong – I mean you weren't dating Molly, nor had you made any promises to her about that night."

"So why won't she speak to me?"

"She's embarrassed."

"Why?"

"How would you describe Molly, Dame?"

"What does this have to do with-"

"Just go with it, how would you describe her?"

"She's brilliant," he started slowly, his uncertainty clear in his expression. "Bright, witty, an incredible chaser, and she's got the most expressive eyes I've ever seen. She's stubborn – like you – and I wouldn't say shy, just – what's that word your mum uses?"

"Reserved?"

"Yeah, reserved. She's reserved around new people and new situations, but once she's comfortable you can't get her to shut up. She's logical and level-headed, sometimes a little too much because she weighs everything up before giving you a straight answer. She's beautiful."

"Wow." Rory whispered as the depth of her cousin's description rendered her speechless for a moment. He shot her a sheepish smile, and she grinned back before collecting her thoughts. "There you go,"

"What?"

"Her level-headedness, it's why she's embarrassed."

"I don't get it."

"Molly praises herself for being able to keep a level-head in any situation, for being able to pick the most logical and reasonable approach and outcome. But, having a crush on you was neither of those things, and she'd have known that, probably even tried to avoid it. Knowing that she'd only get hurt in the long run,"

"Not making me feel any better, Ro."

"Do you want help or not?"

"Yeah…"

"Then shut-up and listen." He pulled a face at her. "Molly, during every late-night conversation I've ever had with her, has always berated the girls who've been blinded by their emotions and forgotten the flaws of their significant other, who've allowed themselves to place boys on pedestals only to get hurt in the end. She always swore that she'd never be like that, like them– but apparently when she got to know you and hung out with you without that asshole act you put on, she forgot about being cautious or level-headed and fell into the trap she thought she was smart enough to avoid. So, when she saw you at the party, lip-locked with another girl, it would have all come crashing down on her and the reality of who she was crushing on would have made her cringe."

"What're you trying to get at?"

"Yes, seeing you kissing another girl hurt her, Damian. Seeing the person, you like with someone else will always hurt no matter who they or you are, but if you're like Molly and you're aware that you've got no claim on your crush, then you can't be angry at the other person for very long. If I know Molly as well as I like to think I do, then I reckon she stopped being angry at you the moment she got back to her dorm after the party."

"Then why won't she speak to me?"

"Because she's embarrassed that she got so upset seeing you with someone else knowing that the two of you hadn't made any promises to each other. And because Molly is the person that she is, she'll see the only solution to not becoming those girls she's despised as being a need to get over these feelings she has for you. She's not going to want to hang out with you if she's got this crush on you, not after what happened at the party, and not if you don't feel the same way."

"But I do!"

"But she doesn't know that, she won't allow herself to even consider it as a possibility."

"I don't want her to move on, Rory." Damian looked up at her, a hurt desperation clouding his dark eyes.

"Then don't let her."

"How do I manage to do that? I go back to school in two weeks for my Seventh Year and she hasn't returned a single owl to all the letters I've written her since the break began. I'm not going to see her for a year, how can I possibly stop her from moving on?"

"You're Damian Bell, you'll think of something."

"I-"

"Excuse me," The door swung open as the locking spell Rory had placed on it was undone by someone on the other side, and two figures stood in the open doorway with two incredibly displeased expressions on their faces. "But what do you think you're doing hiding in here?"

Tristan tapped his foot while pursing his lips at the duo sitting in the backroom, and Rory did little to stifle her smirk at him.

"Trist,"

"No, nope! I don't want to hear any stupid excuse, I want the two of you to get your asses out of this room and back out onto the floor." He sighed mournfully, "I'm not angry, I'm just very disappointed in the both of you."

"Oh no, not _disappointed!_?" Rory gasped, standing from her seat. "I'm so dreadfully sorry, little cousin."

"So you should be," Tristan sniffed before flicking his apron and spinning on his heel to re-enter the chaos that was the store.

"What were the two of you doing?" Jared asked curiously as he helped Damian up from the floor.

"I was just giving Damian some love advice."

"You?" Jared scoffed, "The girl who's never been in a relationship?"

"I wouldn't be so judgy, Mr In-the-same-boat."

"Weak,"

"You're weak." She poked her tongue out at him before following Tristan's example and found herself swallowed up by the back-to-school crowd.

* * *

**Victoire**

Floating above the Falcons' stadium, Victoire swayed between the three hoops of the pitch with her head in the clouds. Before her, her team played a match against their reserves whilst Rhaewyn shouted plays and strategies at them from where she flew alongside the game only just out of reach of the fray.

Vic had started off paying attention to the practice, but after ten minutes of floating by the goals without any action her mind had started to wander, and now she was daydreaming rather than watching the quaffle that was coming flying straight towards her.

There were shouts of her name around her, Rhaewyn was soaring towards her concern written across her face, and at the very last minute Victoire raised her hand and caught the quaffle just before it made contact with her nose.

She blinked slowly, hardly registering what had happened and looked away from the ball she held in her hands to her team who were staring at her quizzically.

"Weasley! Ground, now!" Vic glanced over at her coach who was shaking her head at her, and she winced, very much aware of the chewing out she was about to receive. With a weary look at her sympathetically grimacing team mates, Vic passed the quaffle over to one of the chasers and lowered herself to the grassy pitch.

Resting her arms atop of her broom, Vic stood up straight as Rhaewyn marched towards her.

"What is going on with you, Weasley?"

"Coach?"

"Up there, with the quaffle – you could've been seriously injured if you hadn't managed to snap out of whatever trance you were in. This close to the start of our season, we can't afford to lose our starting Keeper."

"It was an accident, Rhae, I promise it won't happen again."

"You say that, Vic, and I want to believe you, I really do. But this isn't the first time I've caught you not paying attention at training. These last few weeks you haven't been yourself, your game is slipping and for the first time ever – _Alexei _scored against you. I don't know what's going on with you, Weasley, but you better sort it out before our first match."

Embarrassment settled over her, and she risked a glance up to where her teammates were surreptitiously watching her and their coach whilst continuing their practice match. Amongst them, she could make out the chaser Rhaewyn had mentioned, and she winced at the memory of the first time in the year and a half since she'd joined the team that Alexei Ivanov had managed to get a goal in while she was marking the hoops. Shaking her head at herself, Victoire looked back at her coach with a solemn expression. The truth was, that Rhaewyn was right when she said that Victoire hadn't been herself lately, because she hadn't. Not since she'd asked Teddy to be her beard, or rather, not since Lydia Pine had come waltzing back into her life after a year of absence reminding her of exactly what she was hiding by creating this lie of a relationship.

In the month that had passed since Rory's birthday and since the dinner the three of them and Lydia had shared, her mind and thoughts had been caught up in the very girl who'd captivated them for the entirety of the previous year. And each additional day she spent in Lydia's presence, every afternoon they spent at Rory's store when they had spare time, every dinner or lunch or breakfast that the _now_quartet opposed to trio shared, only increased the feelings she knew she had for the other girl.

She cleared her throat, aware that Rhaewyn was waiting for her to say something.

"I'll sort it out, Coach."

Or she would at least try to.

* * *

**Rory**

Slipping out the front door of her shop at seven-thirty that evening, Rory locked it with a yawn. Once she heard the resounding click of the lock fitting into place, she shot a weary smile at her door and turned on her heel – only to leap out of her skin as someone apparated right in front of her.

"Holy mother of Merlin!" She stumbled backwards against her store, a hand clasped to her racing heart.

"Oh good you're finished!" Vic smiled warmly at her, though pursed her lips when she noticed the way Rory was trying to regulate her breathing. "What're you doing?"

"Recovering from a heart attack," She retorted. "Were we catching up today? I thought our girls' night was on Friday – wait, _is_it Friday?"

"We weren't, it is, and no it's Wednesday." Vic linked her arm through Rory's and began leading her down the street.

"Then what do I owe to this unexpected encounter?"

"Unexpected encounter… wow, way to make me feel loved, Ro."

"Vicky."

"Can't I come see my best friend without there being a reason?"

"You can," Rory patted the other girl's arm that was linked through hers, "But there's something telling me that there is a reason."

"Maybe that something's wrong."

"I don't think it is."

"It could be,"

"But it isn't."

"You don't know that,"

"Vicky,"

"Rory,"

"Are you really trying to start an argument over my perception skills?"

"Maybe." Vic shrugged causing the brunette to sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Her voice pitched and she coughed to cover it up.

"Vic-"

"Honest, there's nothing wrong – you know, aside from the fact that I'm fake dating one of my best friends, while seriously crushing on my other best friend's cousin. Yeah, there's nothing wrong, nothing at all." Rory stopped walking, pulling the both of them to an abrupt stop at Vic's nervous admission. Turning to face the strawberry blonde, Rory's expression softened.

"Which cousin are we talking about here?"

"Ro!" Vic screeched, gaining them the attention of the other late evening wanderers of Diagon Alley. Rory shushed her, laughing lightly.

"I'm kidding, I know it's Easton."

"Good god," Victoire covered her face with a groan, glaring through the cracks of her fingers at her.

"I know," She reached up and removed Vic's hands so she could look her in the eye. "I know."

"What do I do?"

"What do you _want _to do?"

"I don't know."

"You do; you just don't want to admit it to yourself."

"And if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"She does,"

"But if she doesn't,"

"Then she doesn't. One person not returning your feelings isn't the end of the world, there are other people out there one of whom could be the right person for you. But I don't think you have to worry about that, and I know you know that too."

"Rory,"

"It's not her not returning your feelings that's scaring you, Victoire. It's Lydia feeling the same way about you as you do her that is. You're petrified of her liking you, because then it makes it real – makes what you're feeling real, and it puts this thing you're doing with Teddy in jeopardy. It puts you staying in the closet in jeopardy."

"Maybe,"

"There's no maybe about it, Vic."

"You really think she could feel the same way?"

"I do,"

An open, giddy smile stretched across Vic's lips.

"I just… where would it go though?" The smile died as fresh nerves took root in her mind. "Say I tell her, and she feels the same way, what would happen?"

"I can't tell you, because I don't know. Whatever happens between you and Lydia depends on you

and what you want to see happen."

"I want to be with her."

"Then there's your answer." Rory answered with a grin, but it wasn't returned. Hesitation rang clearly from Victoire's eyes, as deeply burning doubt appeared in her features. "What is it?"

"I can't do it."

"Why not?"

"I'm using Ted as my beard because I can't come out to my family, even with my feelings for Lydia that reason still stands."

"Sometimes, I really don't understand you." Rory shook her head in disbelief. "Your family are some of if not the most understanding and accepting people in the world. They give so much to everybody, open their arms to every stray, friend and passer-by that stumbles upon them, and you're afraid of what they'll think of you being gay?"

"I can't explain it, Rory, I don't know how – I'm just… I'm not ready." Rory watched her, searching for any clue as to the real reason why Vic couldn't come out to her family knowing that it wasn't the feeble one she was giving about not being ready. When she couldn't get through the disheartened expression to what she was looking for, Rory allowed the argument to drop and sighed.

"Just don't hurt her."

"I'm sorry?" Vic narrowed her eyes in confusion, looking away from where she'd been surveying the pavement.

"When you talk with Lydia, and whatever comes out of it, don't hurt her. You may be my best friend, and I may love you like a sister – but Lydia is family and I don't want her getting hurt."

"You still think I should talk to her?" Rory nodded. "Why?"

"I may not believe your excuse for not wanting to come out to your family, but it's my job as your best friend to support you in whatever half-cooked scheme you come up with. Besides, maybe Lydia will be the push you need to finally _be ready_."

"Maybe,"

The two shared a look, and Vic wrapped Rory up in a tight hug before disapparating the two of them away from the street corner.

* * *

**Teddy**

A loud cracking noise jerked the blue haired boy from the papers he was working on at his kitchen bench, and he spun around on his chair to find Vic and Rory standing in his living room.

"Ah, hi?"

"Hey," Vic greeted him, a nervously excited smile on her face as she let go of Rory. The brunette stumbled slightly, a little disorientated from the roller-coaster experience that was Side-Apparition with Victoire Weasley.

"You alright there Rora?"

"I'm just seeing sounds and hearing colours, but yeah." She closed her eyes and gripped her forehead with her hand.

"Over-dramatic much?" Vic snorted with a roll of her eyes, "Anyway, Teds, do you mind if I ditch Rory here for a bit? I've got something I need to do before we eat,"

He glanced down at the empty carton of Chinese Take-away that sat in front of him on the bench before looking back at the girl.

"I wasn't aware we were having dinner together."

"Well we are now, I'll be back in a bit!" She patted Rory on the head only to get swatted away with a glare. Winking at Teddy, Vic spun slightly on the spot and disappeared with the same cracking sound that she'd appeared with.

"Could I get a glass of water?" Nauseously, Rory made her way over to the empty seat next to him and sat down. "Sometimes, I forget why we're always the ones who apparate our group places, and then Vic offers to do it and I remember."

"It's a talent she shares with her Uncle Charlie." He wandered around the bench to the sink and filled a glass under the tap. "Unfortunately,"

"Thanks," Rory shot him a tepid smile as he slid her drink towards her, and after forcing several gulps down, some colour began returning to her face. "How she managed to get her license will remain one of life's greatest mysteries,"

"Hmm," he chuckled, leaning forward on his elbows as he stood on the opposite side of the bench that she sat at. "What brought on this impromptu visit? Not that I'm complaining,"

"Honestly, when I felt myself being dragged along by Vic I thought she was taking us to Lydia's place, I don't know why she brought me here." She looked down at the papers that surrounded her and grimaced. "I'm sorry if we interrupted your work, I can leave if you're busy."

"No!" He cleared his throat as she startled at his enthusiasm. "I mean, no – you don't have to leave, I'm really not that busy."

"This," She waved her hand at the various files and cases that were open in between them. "Isn't busy?"

"Surprisingly, no."

"Merlin, and here I thought the back-to-school shopping crowds were hectic. Auror business has me beat," Rory picked up one of the cases, and squinted at it. "How do you even read this chicken scratch?"

"Hey! My handwriting isn't that bad,"

"No, you're right, it's improved greatly since you graduated from Hogwarts." She smiled impishly at him. "But I wasn't talking about _your_handwriting, Tedster. I was talking about the other person's who's written in the file."

"Right," He blushed a little and she chuckled softly before turning the case she was holding around so he could see the paragraph she was talking about. "That's Finchley's."

"The Deputy Head of the Department?" He nodded, "A four-year-old could give him lessons,"

"Well, you're not wrong." He pushed away from the bench with a shrug, "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah, Jared got me something from the Leaky Cauldron before he and the boys went home."

"Do you want a drink?"

"I'd kill for a coffee if you've got some going,"

"Sure thing,"

Teddy could feel her eyes on him as he moved about his kitchen making their drinks, and he revelled in it, wishing that this could be the way they spent every night. Just the two of them unwinding after a long day at work, making quips at the other and sharing secret smiles. He wished more than anything that he could break out of the best friend role and have her return his feelings.

"Thanks," Her hands wrapped around the coffee mug, and she took a long sip before heaving a weary sigh.

"Sounds like you had a long day,"

"The longest," She placed the mug down on the counter top with a pensive look. "But that's not why I'm so tired."

"No?"

"Hmm,"

"What's up?"

"I don't know when it happened, Teds, but suddenly I'm confidant number 1 for people seeking relationship advice."

"Is that so?" Teddy walked back around the kitchen bench and sat down beside her, knowing she hated it when people used the counter as a seat.

"It's weird right? I mean, what advice could they possibly expect from someone who's never been kissed let alone been in a relationship?" He could sense the derisive undertones of her remark, and clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Rora."

"I know; I just don't know what they expect me to know about the things they ask me."

"People trust you, Aurora. They look at you, and they see someone they can talk to, someone who will help them even if she doesn't necessarily know how. Not a lot of people can say that about themselves,"

"I'm not complaining about it, I love that my cousins and my friends can talk to me about things personal to them – I just… It just starts reminding me of how depressingly single I am." She laughed to lighten the self-pitying mood of her sentence, and he knew that in that moment an opportunity had arisen for him to solve both of their problems – but he couldn't. It wasn't the right moment; it wasn't how he'd pictured it in his head any of the thousands of times he'd lain awake at night planning. No, he couldn't tell her, not yet.

So, instead, he smiled and laughed with her.

"It's not like I'm doing any better at the moment,"

"Just two single pringles, in a world of kitkats."

"What?" He laughed and she flushed.

"The analogy worked better in my head,"

"Right," he drawled and took a sip from his own cup of coffee. She pulled a face at him. "But I'm curious as to who's been confiding in you."

"You're such a Gossip Queen, I swear."

"You brought it up!" He protested.

"Gossip Queen,"

"Rora," They had a mini-stare off before he caved and she cheered victoriously. "Fine, I'm a gossip queen, I don't care – just tell me who-"

"Damian told me he had a crush on someone who was avoiding him, and Vic admitted to having feelings for Lydia."

"My girlfriend's in love with someone else?!" Teddy pretended to faint, earning him a snort from Rory.

"Sorry to say it mate, but your girl doesn't exactly play for your team."

"I'm heartbroken."

"I can tell." His broad grin met hers and they shared another laugh. "But yeah, that's why I thought Vic was taking us to Lydia's instead of bringing me here."

"She's going to tell her how she feels?"

"That's the plan, whether or not she actually goes through with it, I don't know."

"Brave."

"She is the Gryffindor out of the three of us."

"True." He agreed, before his mind registered on the first person she'd mentioned confiding in her.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Damian has a crush on someone?"

"I did."

"You're having me on,"

"I'm really not,"

"I never thought I'd see the day," Dumbfounded, Teddy blinked slowly as if it was a piece of earth-shattering news. "Who's the girl?"

"I can't say,"

"Why not?" He whinged, pouting.

* * *

"Made a promise not to tell a soul."

"Surely you can make an exception," She shook her head, avoiding his puppy-dog eyes. "Not even for me?"

"Not even for you,"

"You're killing me."

* * *

**Victoire**

She stumbled slightly on the doorstep. Her stomach swooping at her arrival, and she steadied herself before knocking.

The seconds it took for Lydia to get to the door were some of the longest seconds Victoire had ever faced, and she was just about ready to disappear when the door finally opened.

On opposite sides of the threshold, the two young women stood silently watching their counterpart. Vic's mouth ran dry while her hands grew clammy, and she swallowed thickly.

"Hi," Her voice was no louder than a whisper.

"Hi," Lydia mimicked, her face cautiously confused at her appearance. "What're you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" They spoke at the same time, and Vic blushed.

"Sure," The dark-haired witch stepped away from the frame and held her arm out in invitation. Vic smiled softly at her before ducking inside, her hands shaking nervously.

The door shut behind her with a gentle but loud click, and she turned on her heel to look back at Lydia. For a moment, neither spoke, uncertain about being alone with each other.

All their interactions with each other up to now since the graduation party had involved the presence of various others who acted as a buffer to the awkward tension that had grown between them.

Lydia's face was impassive but her eyes were just as expressive as Vic remembered them. The dark brown colour had flecks of green and honey hues intermingling within it's shadows, and Vic could see the calculating, questioning thoughts that were running through Lydia's mind there in her eyes.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, I'm fine thank-you."

"Right." Lydia nodded, stepping further into the room. "What brings you here, Victoire?"

"I ah…" Her thoughts came to a stop, and she was speechless all of a sudden second-guessing the ingenious idea she'd had of racing here so quickly after her conversation with Rory. She looked away from the other girl and looked at her feet.

"Vic?"

"I think – no, I know." She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "I can't stop thinking about you, about that night. It runs on a loop in my head whenever I close my eyes. I care for you, Lydia, more than I have about anyone before, and it terrifies me."

"What about Teddy?"

"I know you've noticed how Ted and I aren't exactly a normal couple," She opened her eyes and shot a sly smirk at Lydia, one the girl sheepishly shrugged at. "I mean, it's kind of hard to be a normal couple when you aren't actually one."

There was a brief pause, and then Lydia was pulling her lips up in a small smile and stepping closer to Vic.

"You're not?"

"No, we're faking it."

"Faking it." Lydia's progression forward stopped, and her impassive mask slipped back onto her face. "Why?"

"Witch Weekly shot a series of compromising photos of Ted and I, insinuating some rather heavy and implicating things – my family all assumed that there was an ounce of truth to the article, and one thing led to another and Teddy and I decided to pretend to be dating so to avoid any embarrassment for our family."

"Your family don't know, do they? That you're gay."

Vic shook her head, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"No."

"And Teddy agreed to being your beard?"

"Yeah,"

"Huh," Lydia's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline, and Vic furrowed hers quizzically.

"That surprises you?"

"A little."

"Why?"

"I just thought he had a thing for Ro."

"Teddy and Rory?" Vic laughed, and though she seemed to find the idea far too preposterous, Lydia watched her with a shake of her head still believing her hunch was right. "No, they're just friends – almost siblings."

"It's just a hunch I've got."

"Hmm," Vic chuckled lightly as she slowly sobered; now that the truth was out there, and the jokes were pushed aside Vic was nervous. The game was now in Lydia's hands, she was in Lydia's hands, and it made her sick to her stomach. She took a shaky breath and swallowed.

"I know it's been a year, I know that's it probably not the most romantic idea of relationship, and I know that you'd have to be keeping a part of yourself a secret – but, if there was even a smidge of you that felt the same way as I do… Would you be willing to give this, give us a shot?" Her voice wavered, but she held Lydia's gaze all the same as she spoke, feeling a small burst of courage rush through her. For the first time, she felt like the Sorting Hat hadn't been wrong when it had sorted her.

Lydia's head tipped slightly to the side, her lips pursed as her eyes assessed her. Not saying anything, the dark-haired witch closed the distance between the two of them. Standing within a breath from Vic, Lydia smiled softly. Vic's heart thumped against her chest, and her breaths were coming far too short as Lydia leaned in, and then their lips were touching and everything melted away.

"I'm in."


End file.
